Olympique de Marseille loses one of the strong men of its 2023/2024 season: the Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (35 years old) announced his departure from the Marseille club on Wednesday, after a season with 30 goals in all competitions.
“It’s time for me to start a new chapter,” the player said in his message, thanking the owner of the Olympian club Frank McCourt and its president Pablo Longoria “for having accepted [son] departure”, but without specifying his new destination, even if rumors send him to the Sudanese club Al-Qadsiah.
“You made me stronger”
Aubameyang arrived on a free transfer in the summer of 2023 from Chelsea, to replace another veteran in attack, the Chilean Alexis Sanchez, who had left for Inter Milan after also only staying one year at OM. Despite a very disappointing season for OM, with an eighth place in the league and multiple changes of coaches, the Gabonese striker had swum with 30 goals and 11 assists in all competitions.
He had also broken the historic record for goals in the Europa League (34 goals), scoring 10 times this season in this competition, and had been named best player of the competition. “You have made me stronger and these memories with you will remain engraved forever,” wrote the striker to the staff, players and supporters of OM in his farewell message.
Greenwood’s controversial arrival
His departure from Marseille rekindles the eternal debate on the club’s “great striker”, between failures and players staying too short a time, like Aubameyang and Alexis Sanchez.
His announced successor, Mason Greenwood, is already causing controversy on the Canebière: the English striker from Manchester United was suspended in 2022 by the Premier League following accusations of rape and assault on his partner, charges which have since been dropped.
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