'Hook, hook, goal... easy': Ounahi recalls conversation with Harit that led him to Marseille

Azzedine Ounahi, Olympique de Marseille’s latest Moroccan addition, gave an interview to French media in a post-match conference where he explained his reasons for choosing Marseille, accrediting his national teammate, Amine Harit.

“It was a natural choice,” Moroccan international Azzedine Ounahi said on Thursday of his decision to join Olympique de Marseille (OM), where his compatriot Amine Harit, he says, also played “a real role” in convincing him to chose the French club.

“During the World Cup, I spoke for more than 30 minutes with the president, Pablo Longoria. He told me he really wanted me. It’s true that there have been discussions with other clubs, but OM are a big European club and the biggest club in France. It was a natural choice,” said the former Angers midfielder.

The Casablanca-born then revealed the role played by his compatriot Amine Harit: “When he arrived in Doha, I thought it was to support us, but he directly summoned me to his room (laughs). ‘Come on, you have to come, it’s a big club’ he told me. He was in a hurry, he told me about the group, the city… He’s a brother to me, I can’t wait for him to come back” Harit, seriously injured just before the World Cup, encouraged the 22-year-old midfielder, who said he had a real role in this transfer.

The Moroccan international also compared Marseille to Casablanca: “there is an atmosphere, it lives for football, that’s what I like. In Morocco, they love the club and there, with two Moroccans, they will be behind us. It’s going to be Dima Marseille! (Long live Marseille in Moroccan Darija)”.

Finally, Ounahi spoke of his first match played with OM: “It’s like with Angers. I came from the National selection and for my first match in L1, I hit the post and I scored. Yesterday, I entered without any stress, to have fun and help the group. When I walked in I felt there were spaces and room to score. Then I check, hook, hook, goal. It’s easy!”