PSG stayed put and calm in the winter transfer window, limiting themselves to a verbal agreement to sign Milan Skriniar, who will move in the summer. And this is in stark contrast to the purchase of Ligue 1’s main competitor, namely Marseille. The purchase of Moroccan national team leader Azzedine Unai and the loan of Ruslan Malinovsky were already impressive, but at the finish line, Marseille also acquired Vitinha from Braga. What is interesting about this transfer?
THE MOST EXPENSIVE OFFER IN THE HISTORY OF THE CLUB
André-Pierre Gignac (16 million euros), Loïc Remy (15.5 million euros), Hatem Ben Arfa (12 million euros) and even stars like Kevin Strotman (25 million euros) and Dimitri Payet (29 million euros). euros) were bought for less than Vitinha. The Portuguese striker, bought for 32 million euros, was a record contract in the history of Marseille.
In addition, he became the 33rd most expensive player in Ligue 1, ahead of Marquinhos (PSG), Alexander Golovin (Monaco), Memphis Depay (Lyon) and others. Only PSG and Monaco paid more for newcomers to France.
tricks of the deal
Formally, Vitinha really cost Marseille more than Strotman, but in fact the newcomer will have less impact on the financial costs of the club. Firstly, this is due to the payment in installments, which will extend over five years, and secondly, the Portuguese’s salary must be taken into account. In total, if you count the total costs, Strotman cost Marseille 10 million euros a year, and a newcomer from Braga will “eat” only 7 million.
And we still haven’t mentioned the prospects for the deal. If Strotman came as an urgent reinforcement here and now in the status of an established star, then Vitinya can still be sold profitably, because he is still very young. The guarantee is also added for the duration of the contract, which will run until the summer of 2027.
IS VITINYA LIFE WORTH?
Vitinha was one of the most interesting options on the transfer market, which could still be acquired for relatively modest money. Marseille are lucky that the Portuguese is a product of the Braga youth system, and not Porto or Benfica, who would surely have raised the price a lot.
Vitinha is a 22-year-old versatile footballer who has shown consistency for the second consecutive season. In his first season in adult soccer, he scored 7 goals and 2 assists in the Portuguese championship, and now he has the same figure, but only in the middle of the season. He also added 4 goals and 1 assist in the Europa League.
In addition to performance progress, Vitinha seriously added protection. This is perfectly demonstrated by the statistics of the teams of the season, of which there are currently 22. And this is so much! Harry Kane, Robert Lewandowski, Erling Holland and Karim Benzema only have 15 tackles for four. Often that desire to fight leads to rudeness and yellow cards, but this isn’t all that critical for an attacker who brings so much value to all parts of the pitch.
WHY IS THIS “MARCEL”?
The purchase of Vitinha is due to a bad season by Bamba Dieng, who scored only one goal in half a year, much less than the other team’s top scorer, Alexis Sánchez. Dieng fell from the base and Vitinha can give a new impetus to the attack.
“Marseille” sinks in attack, and there is not a single representative of the team in the list of the top ten scorers of the championship. Only Sánchez barely makes it to the top 15 with 7 goals. Vitinha is a new weapon that could help Marseille knock Paris Saint-Germain out of first place.
