‘I didn’t work enough’ – Azzedine Ounahi takes responsibility for Marseille exit | OneFootball

This morning it was announced that Azzedine Ounahi (24) had left Olympique de Marseille on loan for Panathinaikos FC. The Greek side will have the option to make the deal permanent at the end of the season.

Ounahi joined Marseille in 2023 on the back of an exceptional World Cup campaign with Morocco where he helped the Atlas Lions reach the semi-final for the first time in their history. However, his experience in the south of France was far removed from those earlier heights.

Ounahi had underwhelmed across his one-and-a-half seasons at the club, and he was one of the players who had been placed in the “loft” by the club following the arrival of new manager Roberto De Zerbi.

The midfielder had some inclusion in the team’s preseason but that always felt more like an indictment on the amount of players that Les Phocéens had available rather than an indication that the Moroccan international was in De Zerbi’s plans.

Azzedine Ounahi: ‘I don’t want to make the same mistakes as before’

In an interview with his new club, Ounahi was honest about his time at Marseille explaining “I’ve had some difficult times and I’ve had a really tough month. What’s happened will help me in life. This situation has made me grow. And I don’t want to make the same mistakes as before.”

“Last season was complicated for me. I had an injury and I had personal problems, things outside of football that impacted me. I didn’t work enough and I accept that. I didn’t work enough to be at the best level. I’m not going to make the same mistakes, I’ve a new mentality,” Ounahi stated.

GFFN | Nick Hartland