Marseille boss Andre Villas-Boas hits out at club president for bringing in former Sheffield Wednesday vice-chairman

Marseille manager Andre Villas-Boas has hit out at the club's President Jacques-Henri Eyraud, after he made the decision to appoint former Sheffield Wednesday vice-chairman Paul Aldridge as the club's new 'advisor'.
(Photo credit: VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images)(Photo credit: VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo credit: VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images)

The role is particularly controversial, as it is likely to centre around looking to sell some of the club's top talents to Premier League clubs in Janaury and beyond.

Discussing the news at a press conference on Wednesday, via Le Parisien, AVB hit out at his employer, claiming: “It is up to the President to say why he has taken this decision. It is not by hiring an advisor that things are going to work (in terms of sales).

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"It is the competitiveness of your team that can open certain doors in the English market or open up your network. I was surprised by this decision. I will not comment much more. If it helps Marseille survive on the economic aspect, then I understand.

The 42-year-old continued: "My interests as the manager is to hold on to this squad. If you listened carefully to Boubacar Kamara (who was in the press conference before AVB), his aim is to stay at Marseille. I come from Porto where players are not for sale.

He concluded: "The only comment on this from the president is something that I have read not on our club website but in L’Équipe. I was not informed by the president about this decision. I respect, but if this decision goes against what I have done on the football side with Andoni in the last 6 months, then I am on Andoni’s side.”

The appointment of Aldridge has, according to French outlet L'Equipe, seen Eyraud targeted with a death threat.

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Villas-Boas was hired as Les Olympiens' manager last May, after a one-year spell in the Chinese Super League with Shanghai SIPG - a role that saw him take over from former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson.

The Portguese coach has had an excellent start to the season with his new side, who sit comfortably in second place – behind the seemingly unstoppable Paris Saint-Germain - after picking up 41 points from 20 matches.

Aldrige left his position at Sheffield Wednesday in 2016, after a five-year spell that saw the Owls move from League One strugglers to the cusp of promotion back to the Premier League.

He previously made a name for himself in 2006, after assisting in the controversial deal to bring both Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano to West Ham United.

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