Jordan Veretout reflected on his decision to leave Roma for Olympique Marseille in the summer, underlining the difficulty of the end of his time in the Italian capital.
The 29-year-old Frenchman left Italy for the French Riviera last month, joining Les Olympiens in a deal worth around €11m. Veretout spent three years tied to the Giallorossi after leaving Fiorentina and was a part of the team that won the Europa Conference League last season.
Speaking to Goal, Veretout discussed his transfer from Roma to Olympique Marseille and why he decided to make the jump.
“We had been in talks with Marseille for a long time. I wanted something different from Italy and to return to France. The last few months with Roma were also difficult in certain aspects and I needed a change of air to continue growing.
“When OM contacted me, I immediately decided to leave, especially because I would be playing in the Champions League in a crazy stadium. It’s fantastic!”
He commented on his relationship with Jose Mourinho and the difficulty of being benched in the Italian capital.
“I spent three seasons at Roma, two and a half of them at a very high level. I was very happy and I was good on the pitch. Then the last six months were complicated, Mourinho rotated, had other players at his disposal and even lowered Mkhitaryan.
“It’s always difficult when you go from a starter to a substitute. I had to change that as well. I am 29 years old and I want to play football.
“When Marseille came to present their project to me, I absolutely wanted to leave even though Mourinho wanted me to stay, but he understood my choice to leave, to go back to France, also for my family.”
During his three years with Roma, the 29-year-old Veretout made 131 appearances across all competitions, scoring 22 goals and providing 16 assists in that time. He’s signed a three-year contract with Marseille and has already made 10 appearances for the club.
His a good player, he and rabiot should be on the plane to Qatar.