Marseille announce double departure

Olympique Marseille have announced the departure of Matt O’Riley and Darryl Bakola as the winter transfer closes.

According to reports, O’Riley, who is on loan at the French club from Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion, returned to England as his loan got prematurely terminated.

It was not anticipated that the Danish international’s move to the Vélodrome, which was finalised late in the summer transfer window, would be cancelled, as there was no indication a week ago about it. 

But the situation changed rapidly as O’Riley left Marseille after an agreement was reached by the two clubs to end the loan.

After joining the Ligue 1 side on loan last September, the Danish international failed to establish himself as an undisputed starter under head coach Roberto De Zerbi. O’Riley. 

He made 25 appearances across all competitions for OM, scoring once in Ligue 1. He is not considered an important player for De Zerbi as his involvement was often intermittent amid strong competition in midfield.

The 24-year-old midfielder has also earned six senior caps for Denmark. Before the loan move, he had already featured twice for Brighton earlier this season in the Premier League.

This made O’Riley ineligible to join a third club for the remainder of the campaign, as he will now remain with the Seagulls until the end of the season.

 Marseille also officially confirmed the departure of highly-rated  Bakola, who joins Serie A side US Sassuolo Calcio.

The highly rated midfielder leaves Marseille in a deal reportedly worth around €10m.

The sale of the 18-year-old is one of OM’s most significant academy sales in recent years.

Bakola, who joined Marseille’s academy in 2022 from Red Star FC, has been considered one of the club’s brightest youth prospects.

He had made 12 appearances during the current season for Marseille across competitions.

The club confirmed the departure in a statement published on the club’s official website, wishing Bakola well as he begins the next chapter of his career in Italy.

What’s unclear is whether a resale clause is included in the deal.