This Friday morning, in the Claude-Nucera press room at the Velodrome, Medhi Benatia acts as if, while Sheherazade Semsar de Boissson sets the tone. The future former football director sits in the third row of the area reserved for OM’s top brass, but the vice president of the supervisory board asks him, with a gesture, to come and sit in the front row. The former Juve defender complies immediately.
The presentation ceremony of Stephane Richard must be well orchestrated, and behind the lectern, Frank McCourt and his new president are playing a flawless tune. We are on the dawn of a new era and the 72-year-old American owner does not want to make mistakes in choosing the right people.
Florent Ghisolfi, a contact, will remain at Sunderland. In a little over a month, the former agent, who resigned the day after Valentine’s Day, will no longer be there. The Bostonian has once again confirmed this, after publicly thanking him. Many changes are expected internally, and a new structure on the field will be put in place with another head of the sports sector leading the reorganization. Meanwhile, the close circle of the Franco-Moroccan continues their mission.
This Friday evening, between the players’ family room and the mixed zone, where only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came to speak to journalists (four short minutes, over an hour and ten minutes after the final whistle), Ali Zarrak, the unofficial right-hand man of “MB” in charge of youth, exchanges greetings with some followers as OM has just beaten Metz (3-1). Will he have the opportunity to do this again in a few weeks, when his mentor is gone, as he has made enemies both inside and outside the club? Nothing is certain, and for him, as for others, the future will depend mainly on Benatia’s successor.
Gregory Lorenzi has supporters at La Commanderie. What profile is being sought exactly? As with the position of president, now filled, Frank McCourt wants a builder, humble and aware of the situation of OM and French football. An agency (Excel Sports Management, according to our information) has been tasked with identifying the ideal candidate and must submit a list of names to Stephane Richard, who oversees this recruitment. “As with all decisions involving the club, the president, the owner, and the supervisory board will be involved,” said sources close to the American. Prospecting is underway, and some initial candidates are beginning to emerge.
The roadmap for the next football director is quite clear and aligns with what the former CEO of Orange said during his inauguration. “It is important to surround oneself with the right people and build a team. This is very important and not easy. Neither in a large organization, nor in a club like OM.” Internal struggles have caused too much damage since the autumn of 2023 not to draw lessons from it.
Several names have been circulating in the past few days. One of them fits many criteria: former midfielder from Bastia and Reims, Florent Ghisolfi. The 41-year-old from Aubagne has the advantage of knowing the Ligue 1 perfectly as he worked at Lens (as sports coordinator from 2019-2022) and Nice (sports director from 2022-2024) before joining Roma (2024) and then Sunderland since July 2025. Because his time in England with the club owned by Kyril Louis-Dreyfus is going very well (the Black Cats even defeated Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham this Sunday), sources say he has expressed a preference to stay at his new club despite being recently approached about the Olympian challenge.
Julien Fournier knows Marseille, OM, and has shown that he knows how to value talents. Other names mentioned include Gregory Lorenzi (42 years old) and Julien Fournier (52 years old). The former, a former defender from AC Arles-Avignon, has done excellent work for ten years at Brest, with very limited resources, and is preparing to leave Brittany at the end of the season. He is mainly rumored from Nice but has some supporters at La Commanderie. Will his name be seriously considered by the supervisory board?
The latter has the advantage of knowing the Marseille context inside out, as he was the club’s general secretary from 2004 to 2009, during the Pape Diouf era, to which he was very close. He then spent eleven years at OGC Nice, first as general manager and then as football director, until 2022. A team player more focused on a collective project than on his personal situation, he is known for being a tough negotiator and will never give an extra penny to a recruit if he feels their salary is not commensurate with their performance. Some former players who knew him at OM can testify to this…
The name of Mathieu Bodmer is also circulating. In the current financial context, this quality will be highly valued, especially as he is also a keen observer of the field. On the French Riviera, he has excelled in uncovering and valuing talents such as Jean Michael Seri, Alassane Plea, Marcin Bulka, Kephren Thuram, or Jean-Clair Todibo.
However, Lorenzi and Fournier are not the only profiles being considered. The position of Habib Beye’s team at the end of the season could also influence the final decision. Stay tuned…
