Marseille President Mandates Drastic Cuts to High-Wage Squad
Speaking to local media outlet La Provence, the newly appointed Marseille chief admitted that the current financial climate forces a deep restructuring of the first-team squad. While Richard initially preferred stability, he revealed that sporting director Gregory Lorenzi has already been tasked with managing a high volume of market activity.
The primary driver behind this aggressive transfer strategy is an unsustainable payroll that currently exceeds 100 million euros annually, after peaking at a staggering 153.6 million euros previously. Richard emphasized that maintaining such expenditures without matching on-field results in Ligue 1 is a recurring problem that must be corrected immediately.
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To rebalance the books, the club expects to generate 80 percent of its projected sales revenue from a few high-value assets, though Richard firmly stated he refuses to sell top talent below market value. The president also outlined plans to negotiate salary reductions for specific key veterans who wish to remain in the south of France.
This financial restructuring will heavily impact Marseille's tactical setup and squad depth ahead of the upcoming campaign, as several established first-team regulars are actively seeking departures. The club must now balance these forced high-profile exits with shrewd, budget-conscious recruitments to remain competitive in the European qualification race.