All eyes are on the American continent as the 2026 World Cup unfolds. Medhi Benatia, fresh from a chaotic spell at Olympique de Marseille, is among those watching closely. He had hoped to bring a young foreign talent to the club, but the deal never materialised.
The narrative was promising. A product of Marseille’s academy who never played professionally for the club, Medhi Benatia returned in 2023 to craft an ambitious project. However, it did not last long – the sporting director left his post a few months after Roberto De Zerbi and Pablo Longoria, following a disastrous season at OM.
Benatia leaves OM, but…
Yet it is not entirely over. Benatia reportedly continues to work behind the scenes for OM, especially on the major current dossier: the transfer of Mason Greenwood, who is close to joining AS Roma this summer. An agreement between player and Italian club is already in place, but the crucial step remains finding a deal between the two clubs. Marseille are demanding between €50 M and €55 M for the English winger, making negotiations far from simple.
‘I tried to bring him to Marseille, but he was too expensive’
Meanwhile, Medhi Benatia keeps an eye on the 2026 World Cup, where a player he would have loved to attract to OM is shining. That player is Neil El Aynaoui, a Moroccan international who previously played for Nancy and RC Lens, and now features for AS Roma. ‘He is a very solid player because he combines quality and quantity,’ explained the former Marseille man. ‘I never understood why he played less at Roma than I expected. I tried to bring him to Marseille, but he was too expensive.’
