Marseille-Ismaël Bennacer: "I'm here with clear objectives, not to finish 2nd or 3rd"

Marseille pulled off a huge coup on Monday 3 February, the last day of the winter transfer window. Marseille managed to land Ismaël Bennacer. The Algerian midfielder joins on loan with an option to buy of 12 million euros, plus 3 in bonuses. It is a huge coup for Marseille, who now have an XXL midfield with Hojberg, Rabiot, Rongier and now Bennacer. The latter is delighted to be signing for his boyhood club. " I supported OM as a kid. There is no other club like OM, and it was an interesting project for me. Both what they are doing with the board and on the pitch. We already had contacts this summer with Medhi (Benatia), I thought about it and I always thought I would come. It was in the back of my mind and today I've done it. I can't wait to pull on the shirt ", he said on Wednesday at his press presentation.

Ismaël Bennacer then spoke about the behind-the-scenes story of his arrival and the star welcome the supporters gave him when he arrived on Tuesday. " There was no contact before 2024. This summer I was focused on my return from injury. Fonseca arrived at Milan with ideas and was counting on me. It was more complicated to leave this summer and we didn't push it (…) Yesterday was a day full of emotion, it touched me a lot and I was pleased, it's what I felt about this club, it was even too much. That's the mentality of this club, the supporters make you want to do great things and they showed me that love, and I appreciate it."

The aim: trophies

In arriving at Marseille, Ismaël Bennacer is not settling for the minimum. Used to winning honours in recent years (AFCON, Serie A, Italian Super Cup), the new Marseille number 22 does not see himself fighting for 2nd place all the time. " Of course I've already won, I'm here with clear objectives, not to finish 2nd or 3rd. We have to win every game. Paris are a great side, but we are here to build something new and it will be sweeter to win ". To get there, the former Arsenal man intends to do everything needed, including being unfazed by pressure. "I'm clear about my work and my entourage. I have sacrifices to make, my family, I see them when I need to see them. I'm rigorous, ambitious and serious. Being close to my family is good, but above all I'm focused on my objectives (…) The Algerian community in Marseille? It didn't necessarily play a part in my choice, which is a good thing, my choice came down to the project, the club, the coach. In terms of pressure, when I play in Algeria, I don't feel any pressure. The Vélodrome is something special, but Algeria is not bad."

𝐈𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐞̈𝐥 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐫 🇩🇿 in the Olympian shirt 🔵⚪️ : 𝑴𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑶𝑴𝑷𝑶𝑺𝑺𝑰𝑩𝑳𝑬 ✔️ pic.twitter.com/fmd5HlE0GM

— Olympique de Marseille (@OM_Officiel) February 4, 2025

Fitness regained

Ismaël Bennacer also wanted to reassure Marseille fans about his fitness. Even though he has had major injuries over the past few seasons, he is currently in optimal shape. "My health is very good. I had a serious injury in September, and I've been back for a month and a half. When I'm on the pitch, I'm at 100%. I feel very good physically, I played three days ago, I'm training today and I'll be in the squad on Sunday. One thing is certain, I'm here to play and win."

Finally, Ismaël Bennacer welcomed the presence of Roberto De Zerbi on the OM bench. He says the coach weighed heavily in his decision to join. " As you said, there are some very good midfielders. Roberto De Zerbi spoke to me about his strategy and how he would use me. He's a coach I've always admired. I wanted to play under him in my career. It's wonderful, because it's happening here and that's great. I know that with his philosophy and what he looks for, I'm a player who fits. Having the ball, keeping possession. That's not necessarily what we had at Milan, with many tacticians, less focused on possession. It's really important, my choice came down to the coach and Medhi, who was important in my coming, even though I had a strong desire to come myself."

Read also: Amine Gouiri: "Putting OM back among the best clubs in Europe"