This Monday, OM announced the arrival on loan of Pau Lopez, goalkeeper at AS Roma. Discovery.
Long awaited after multiple press releases, the arrival on loan of goalkeeper Pau Lopez was formalized on Monday by Olympique de Marseille. Little known in France, this 26-year-old goalkeeper arrives in a blurry context for many people. Between competition with Mandanda and confidence to regain, Pau Lopez will quickly have to perform under the Olympian jersey. Presentation.
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Come to compete with Mandanda …
For some time, the nature of Pau Lopez’s status remained unknown to Ligue 1 observers. Asked about the subject during Matteo Guendouzi’s presentation on July 8, Pablo Longoria was very clear on what ‘he expects from the Spanish porter. “ In modern football competition is the most important thing. In all the clubs I have worked for, I have been used to very strong competition between the different goalkeepers, at Juventus, in Valencia. I consider competition, even at the gatehouse position, to be a good thing. It will be more complicated in the clubs to have a goalkeeper number one and two. The trend in football is for a balance. If the president speaks of balance, it remains to be seen if this new arrival will affect that of the Marseille locker room. Last May, Steve Mandanda spoke to Téléfoot on the arrival of a new goalkeeper at the Vélodrome, “I hope to end my football career in Marseille and I hope to be able to start a new one with the club. There is no worry about the arrival of another guardian. We talk about it freely and calmly with Pablo (Longoria) but once again, I’ll be there. It will have to be good“, Warned the OM goalkeeper.
Mandanda’s big mistake against Nantes last February (1-1)
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… But above all to relaunch
If this arrival is so much debate on the Canebière, it is above all because Pau Lopez comes out of two complicated seasons with Roma. Criticized for his level of play and his lack of serenity, the goalkeeper has never seemed up to the 23.5 million invested in him by the club of the wolf. Despite promising first months, Pau Lopez experienced a big air gap after his big ball in the Rome derby. Losing confidence and despite his qualities on his line, Pau Lopez has never managed to regain the level that was his at the Betis Sevilla. In addition, last April he suffered a large shoulder injury which he is still treating and he is not expected to be available until August. The 26-year-old goalkeeper will therefore not have time to prepare with the group and will have to respond immediately if he wants to avoid another complicated exercise.
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Good on his line but a bad one at the foot
Overall, the transfer window produced by Pablo Longoria greatly satisfies the supporters as well as the observers. However, this may be the first time in this summer that a recruit is not unanimous. Since beyond his bad experience in Rome, his recruitment raises questions because of his kicking game which is probably his biggest flaw. A prospect not necessarily reassuring for the supporters since Sampaoli advocates a game of possession with raises from the goalkeeper. A playing philosophy similar to that put in place by Paulo Fonseca and which had embarrassed Pau Lopez during the season. Despite everything, the 26-year-old goalkeeper remains a very good goalkeeper on his line thanks to his 89 meter which gives him size, but he is also excellent when it comes to exits in the feet of the attackers. This ability to come out well in the feet and anticipate deep passes is also interesting given Sampaoli’s desire to see his defense evolve high on the ground.
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He does not arrive in the unknown
Pau Lopez is therefore at the dawn of a big challenge in the Marseille city, but to reassure all those who are already worried about seeing him collapse under the pressure weighing on OM players, Pau Lopez does not don’t jump into the unknown. Indeed, by signing for the Olympians, the 26-year-old goalkeeper will find Jon Pascua, his goalkeeper coach at Real Betis, which corresponds to the best period known by Pau Lopez. We can therefore expect that Pascua will help the new OM goalkeeper to return to the top. In addition, he will also find Alvaro Gonzalez with whom he played for Real Sociedad. Getting back to normal shouldn’t be too complicated, as the two players have played nearly 50 games together and have thus helped bring the San Sebastián club back to the Spanish first division.
Recruited definitively by OM if …
Marseille having reduced leeway in the transfer window, Pablo Longoria is forced to resort to loans with an option to buy. As is the case for Guendouzi, Under or even Saliba, Pau Lopez did not escape the maneuver. In the press release published by AS Roma we learn that it is a paying loan up to 720,000 euros accompanied by bonuses of up to 500,000 euros. This loan comes with a compulsory purchase option of 12 million euros if certain sporting conditions are met. According to Sky Italy, the purchase option would be automatically lifted if the Spanish goalkeeper takes part in 20 matches under the Olympian tunic, which leaves OM a little leeway if Pau Lopez’s performances fail to convince.
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