Payet Welcomes Villas Boas’ Decision To Remain Marseille Manager
Olympique Marseille midfielder Dimitri Payet has expressed delight that manager Andre Villas-Boas will be leading the team again for the 2020/2021 season.
Villas-Boas’ future at the Stade Velodrome was thrown into doubt recently when media reports in France suggested the 42-year-old was likely to follow sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta in exiting the club.
Marseille refuted those reports by offering Villas-Boas a two-year extension to his current deal, and he has agreed to stay in charge for next season.
The former Chelsea, FC Porto and Tottenham Hotspur manager was appointed Marseille boss last summer on a two-year contract and quickly stamped his authority on the team with some eye catching displays that saw them win 16 times and lose just four of their 28 top flight games before the season was ended in France.
Marseille finished as runners up to champions Paris Saint Germain, marking a return to the UEFA Champions League after missing out entirely on European competition last season.
Payet has been impressed with Villas-Boas’ impact and he has welcomed his manager’s decision to stay put.
"[Villas-Boas] had all the support from the locker room," the former West Ham United man told Journal de l'ile de La Reunion.
"A year ago, few of us would have seen us in second place in the standings with such a small squad. He did whatever it took to be rewarded for achieving this goal.
"It's also great news for me because we had a good season together. He loves to have the ball, and I love the beautiful game."
