Chelle Denies Having Contact With Olympique De Marseille

Chelle Denies Having Contact With Olympique De Marseille

Sampson Adedeji

Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has dismissed reports linking him with French Ligue 1 side Olympique de Marseille, insisting he had no direct contact with the club, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

Speculation had emerged following the departure of former manager Roberto De Zerbi, with Chelle’s name reportedly mentioned among potential candidates. 

However, the Nigerian national team boss moved swiftly to clarify the situation during an interview with PodcastHDF.

“I had no contact with the leaders of Olympique de Marseille,” Chelle stated.

The 46-year-old explained that the rumours stemmed from recent changes in his professional representation. 

According to him, he signed with a new sports agency as part of a strategic decision to advance his coaching career.

“In order to evolve and grow as a coach, I decided to engage with an agency that shares my vision,” he said. 

“Like all agents, they explored certain opportunities in Europe, especially in France. At that moment, OM was looking for a coach, so my agency made contact to propose my profile. After that, nothing more happened.”

Chelle stressed that he personally neither initiated nor engaged in any discussions with the Marseille hierarchy.

“Shortlist or no shortlist, rumour after rumour me, I had no contact,” he added. 

“You would have to ask my agent if he was in contact and what position I was on any list. I didn’t do anything, and I didn’t communicate that I was in talks.”

Despite distancing himself from the speculation, Chelle admitted that managing the former European champions would appeal to him on a personal level, given his ties to the region and past experiences at the club’s stadium.

“As someone from the region and a former supporter of OM, if you ask me whether I would like to coach Marseille, I would say yes,” he said. 

“It’s a passionate club with huge support and strong enthusiasm around it.”

He concluded by reiterating that the reports were amplified by social media and fan excitement, particularly in Nigeria, but maintained that there were no direct negotiations.

“My agency simply did its job in exploring projects that might suit me. Beyond that, I don’t really know what happened,” Chelle said.