Marseille coach claims he didn't want Florian Thauvin back from Newcastle
Marseille head coach Michel has revealed he didn't want Florian Thauvin '“ as he preferred a centre-forward instead.
Thauvin returned to Marseille over the weekend after bringing to an end a unhappy five-month spell at Newcastle, who he joined for £13million in August.
But Michel has revealed he didn’t ask for Thauvin to return, and had hoped to sign a striker instead.
“He is not a player that I asked for, but every good player will be well received,” said Michel.
“We need a centre forward. I thought it (the requested scorer) would improve the team, but for different circumstances, that does not happen.
“Thauvin is an interesting player, but this is not the player I had asked for. He is a very good player.
“I asked for a centre forward to address the problem of our team.”
However, Michel could still get a striker in as Sunderland forward Steven Fletcher is understood to be in talks with Marseille over a move until the end of the season.