To describe Mason Greenwood’s Manchester United career as turbulent would be an understatement, but the young England striker has finally packed his bags and left Old Trafford.
It was Olympique de Marseille who ultimately signed Greenwood, amid interest from Getafe (where he enjoyed a fruitful loan spell in 2023/24) and several Serie A clubs. This came as something of a surprise, with OM not blessed with huge financial resources and significant opposition to his signing among fans (we’ll touch more on this later).
However, Greenwood will join up with former Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi at the Stade Vélodrome, in what could be an exciting season for Les Olympiens. But how did the deal come to pass, and what will Greenwood bring to the French club?
What are the Terms of the Greenwood Deal?
Greenwood has joined Marseille on a five-year deal, for the fee of €31.6 million. They may have been encouraged to sign the forward following an excellent season in La Liga, during which he scored 10 goals in 36 games for a struggling Getafe outfit while on loan.
Previously, he made 129 appearances for Manchester United across four active seasons, scoring 35 goals at a rate of 0.27 per game.
However, many of these appearances were from the bench, while Greenwood contributed 17 goals in 49 matches during his breakout season in 2019/20.
Greenwood will step into the shoes of the now-departed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who signed for Al-Qadsiah earlier in the summer.
How Will Marseille Line up with Greenwood?
Unsurprisingly, Greenwood’s arrival has splintered Marseille’s passionate fan base, with the city’s highly liberal and progressive politics underpinning significant discontent in the wake of his signing. Even the mayor spoke out against Greenwood joining last month.
However, Greenwood has at least some opportunity to win over the fanbase with his on-field performances, especially given De Zerbi’s penchant for front foot, possession-based football. The question that remains, of course, is where will Greenwood play for OM?
Typically, he has played on the right of a front three for United and Getafe, regularly cutting inside onto his deadly and cultured left foot. While he would also fit perfectly into a similar role within De Zerbi’s fluid 4-2-3-1 formation, he may well lead the line for Marseille this season following the departure of Aubameyang.
If you uncover a 1xbet promo code for India, you can access several betting markets pertaining to Marseille, Greenwood and Ligue 1 in 2024/25. However, it’s unclear how Greenwood will fare given the immense scrutiny he will find himself under.
One thing’s for sure: he’ll have little room for error or poor form next season, and he’ll have to hit the ground running if he’s to have any chance of winning over his numerous detractors.