Every team needs a proper scapegoat when things aren’t going well, and unfortunately it looks like Olivier Ntcham has become that in Marseille.
His arrival appeared to provoke the exit of Andre Villas-Boas which is obviously far from ideal, while he’s struggled to get into the team and he was hauled off at half time in their recent cup loss to a fourth tier side.
Clearly he still needs a fresh start but returning to France has somehow placed him in a worse situation, so it will be interesting to see what Celtic have planned for him in the summer.
In theory he could extend his stay in Marseille as it’s reported that they have the option to make the deal permanent, but it’s impossible to see it happening.
Match ratings in the papers are a much bigger deal in France and they take them incredibly seriously, so it’s worrying to see the report confirm that he was awarded a 1/10 rating for that game – something which was deemed as unacceptable.
You never see a 10/10 rating given because it required a game where everything goes perfectly for the player, so the 1/10 fully suggests that Ntcham just failed to do anything right in that game.
This loan spell isn’t going to increase his market value so it doesn’t leave Celtic in a great position, so the best case scenario would surely see a new manager who does believe in him and wants to give him another go.
Marseille have just appointed Jorge Sampaoli and that doesn’t look like it will change things for the midfielder, so it does look like he’ll be returning in a few months.
