Olympique de Marseille manager Bruno Genesio has ruled out setting his side a target of qualifying for the Champions League this season, describing such talk as “irresponsible” and insisting it would mean “lying to our supporters”.
Genesio made the comments ahead of Sunday’s Ligue 1 fixture against Paris FC, with the summer transfer window now shut and his playing squad locked in place until at least January.
The club endured a difficult window. Mason Greenwood, Facundo Medina, Leonardo Balerdi and Geronimo Rulli were among the high-profile names to leave, yet Marseille were prevented from reinvesting in the squad due to financial promises made to the DNCG and UEFA. The entire squad had been made available for the right price, but the club could not spend on replacements. Key forward Igor Paixão also faced the risk of departing on deadline day, though he was ultimately retained.
With the squad now fixed, Genesio sees a brief period of calm before the next cycle of uncertainty. “The winter transfer window? We will have another headache. We have four months of respite,” he said. He added that the closure of the window at least brings some clarity, even if it does not improve the club’s spending power.
Learning from last season
Marseille had publicly set Champions League qualification as their objective last term, only to fall short and settle for a place in the UEFA Europa League. Genesio said he will not repeat that promise while the team remains “under construction”.
“To speak about the Champions League would be irresponsible for me. That would be lying to our supporters,” he explained. “At Marseille, you have to be ambitious… but I won’t tell you not to dream. We are under construction.”
Mixed start in Ligue 1
On the pitch, results have been uneven. Marseille opened their campaign with a commanding 4-0 victory over Strasbourg, but they were beaten 2-0 away to Monaco in their second outing. Those three points from two matches leave them with ground to make up as they adapt to life without their departed players.
The squad will remain unchanged until the winter window reopens, leaving Genesio to work with his current group as Marseille seek consistency in the months ahead.