Zinedine Zidane promised €300m budget to replicate Saudi's Newcastle success
Tom Weber
- Updated: 28 Sept 2023 20:56 BST
- 3 min read
Zidane Zidane could return to football if Saudi Arabia buys his hometown club Olympique Marseille, according to a report.
Marseille are in a pickle. Marcelino recently left his role as head coach after taking over in the summer and Gennaro Gattuso has been chosen to succeed him. Besides the Italian legend, Marseille-native Zinedine Zidane was reportedly approached by chairman Pablo Longoria, but the long-time Real Madrid boss rejected the offer due to the club's current lack of ambition and direction.
However, there is a distinct possibility that Zidane could yet make the dreams of Marseille fans come true. According to France Bleu Provence, the legend has agreed to become the club's general manager in the event of a sale to Saudi Arabia.
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Marseille have been linked with the Saudis for years to potentially become a counterweight to Qatari-owned PSG, but American owner Frank McCourt's not-for-sale stance hasn't softened. Despite this, the Saudis could give it another go in a bid to turn the crisis-ridden Ligue 1 giants into a French Newcastle.
Zidane to steer the ship
Zidane would become the face of this project. The Saudis would show much more ambition than the current owners, which intrigues "Zizou." Moreover, he would be given full control of recruitment and he has been promised a €300 million war chest to replicate Newcastle's success.
Zidane personally spoke to Saudi leaders to agree on all of the above, but nevertheless, the chances of this actually materialising, as the report acknowledges, remain slim unless McCourt changes his tune regarding a sale.
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It is claimed that Marseille are one of just three clubs Zidane would be prepared to take charge of, the others being Real Madrid and Juventus. Zidane is also said to be keen on the France job as well, but Didier Deschamps is still under contract until 2026.
