Marseille President Pablo Longoria has ‘no regrets’ over Adrien Rabiot saga | OneFootball

Speaking in an interview with La Provence, Marseille president Pablo Longoria has once again addressed the departure of Adrien Rabiot, insisting he has “no regrets” despite the turbulence caused by the midfielder’s exit this summer.Speaking on the eve of OM’s Champions League trip to Real Madrid, Longoria admitted that the unexpected departure of the French international forced a “change of strategy” in the final weeks of the transfer window.“When you have the strong conviction that the club must be structured so decisions are respected, there are no regrets,” explained Longoria. “The situation itself is regrettable because nobody wants to reach a point of no return, especially with such an important player. But when you follow your principles, you can sleep well at night.”Rabiot’s exit – which came after public criticism of Longoria and sporting director Mehdi Benatia from the player’s mother-agent, Véronique – was one of the defining episodes of Marseille’s summer. The Spaniard described the affair as “rocambolesque” from the outside, but insisted he had always prepared. “The initial plan was to keep Adrien, of course. But once the situation changed, we had to ask ourselves how to remain competitive for the Champions League. That meant finding new profiles for midfield and raising the level of our defence.”Those new profiles featured heavily during Marseille’s win over Lorient last weekend (4-0) as Benjamin Pavard and Nayef Aguerd got off the mark during their successful respective debuts for the club. OM now travel to Madrid to face a tough opening test in the Champions League before facing Paris Saint-Germain this weekend. GFFN | George Boxall