A question Harit won’t answer
Amine Harit was asked on Thursday at a news conference about a possible pay cut at Olympique de Marseille. He wasn’t willing to go into detail.
“There have been talks with the club. Out of respect for the club, I’m not going to go into that here. I have nothing to say on that topic, I’ve got a year left on my deal, and I’m very happy to be here. Contracts, we’ll deal with that later. Right now, I think results matter more,” said the Morocco international.
The line was polite. It didn’t say yes or no. What it did do was confirm there has been some sort of discussion between the player and the board.
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The DNCG backdrop behind the question
This didn’t come out of nowhere. OM are under the DNCG microscope and spent the summer cutting their wage bill. Last week, speaking to RMC, president Stephane Richard said several players were ready to accept lower pay, or spread it out over time. Quiet talk had Harit among them.
A player with a year left on his contract is the perfect case for this kind of accounting exercise. His transfer value drops month by month, his salary still weighs on the books, and the club has every reason to strike a deal before next summer. Harit, for now, is putting it off and putting results first.
A loan move has changed his position
The attacking midfielder has started the season in good form. Loaned to Basaksehir last year, he sees it as a success. “My loan move did me good, I got the joy back of playing every weekend,” he says. He also brushes aside any talk of revenge after a summer when his name was doing the rounds. “There is no revenge. Last season is gone, I’m very happy to be here, and I want to have a big season as a team and individually.”
Now it’s about the pitch. OM travel to Rennes on Friday night, with Bruno Genesio already ruling out two players. Harit should have a role to play. The contract talk? That’ll come back soon enough.
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