Marseille boss hands in resignation over Ntcham signing

Portuguese boss tells news conference he 'said no' to signing the French midfielder on loan from Celtic.

Marseille boss hands in resignation over Ntcham signing SNS GroupSNS Group

Marseille manager Andre Villas-Boas has handed in his resignation after the French club signed Celtic midfielder Olivier Ntcham.

The Portuguese – who previously had managerial stints at Tottenham and Chelsea – told a media conference that he’d informed the club’s board he didn’t want to sign Ntcham.

Later, the club said it was taking disciplinary action against Villas-Boas.

Marseille announced late on Tuesday night they had signed the French midfielder on loan from Celtic.

Villas-Boas told a news conference on Tuesday: “It was not a decision that I took. It was specifically a player that I said no to.

“I was not aware of it, I learned of the signing when I woke up and went on the number one Marseille website.

“I offered my resignation through saying that I was not in agreement with the sporting strategy.

“The board has not yet given me final feedback. I do not want money, I just want to leave. A gentlemenā€™s agreement about signing players has been broken.”

Ntcham has returned to his homeland on a deal lasting until the end of the current season.

The Frenchman has been consistently linked with other clubs in recent transfer windows and failed to earn a regular starting place in Neil Lennonā€™s side.

The 24-year-old, who had joined Celtic from Manchester City in 2017, is under contract with the Glasgow club until 2022, having signed a contract extension a year after arriving in Scotland.

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