As there always is after a World Cup, a handful of lesser-known players are thrown onto the radar of big European clubs and Azzedine Ounahi was no different – but after Leeds made a bid, he is struggling at new side Marseille.
Ounahi, 22, was a crucial part of Morocco’s incredible tournament, as they shocked everyone to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar. Playing for French side Angers, Ounahi was linked with Leeds after the tournament.
Football website 90Min said that Leeds actually made a £22million bid to sign him, before the club lured Weston McKennie to Elland Road on a loan-to-buy deal from Juventus. But instead, Ounahi has since joined Marseille.
It saw him remain in France, going from a rock-bottom Angers to second-placed Marseille. Of course, that meant it was always going to take time for Ounahi to break into team. Things looked good after his debut for Les Phoceens.
He came off the bench to score in a 2-0 away win over Nantes. But since, things have not gone well. Ounahi has started one of the 10 games since joining Marseille. In his one start, he was hooked at half-time against Toulouse.
Leeds made a bid for Ounahi and he is struggling at new side Marseille
Ounahi was even an unused sub in a 2-2 draw against Strasbourg. Five of his nine outings for Marseille have been less than 10 minutes. It is not going to plan and the competition in the middle of the park has not helped Ounahi.
A move to Leeds would certainly have seen him get more game time. More of a no.8, he might have actually suited Javi Gracia – who is using more of a 4-3-3 than a 4-2-3-1. Brenden Aaronson has been struggling for consistency.
But instead, he has joined Marseille and he has a lot of work to do, as things stand, to make the move work. Maybe, when given a pre-season and a full year at Marseille, he will start to shine. Of course, he is still only 22 years of age.
