Asked Thursday by Le Figaro about the difficult beginnings of Vitina, the most expensive rookie in OM history, Olympian chief Pablo Longoria believes it is too early to judge his record.
An assist against Annecy in the Coupe de France and… that’s it. Portuguese striker Vitina arrived this winter at Olympique de Marseille, and has not yet lived up to the expectations placed on him in terms of statistics. In seven games and just two starts in all competitions, the Braga striker has yet to find the net.
The 23-year-old has to contend with necessarily tough competition from Alexis Sanchez and the weight of the biggest signing in the club’s history (€32m).
>> Direct transfer window
“Too demagogic to rule so quickly”
For Pablo Longoria, it is too early to make an assessment. Ahead of a trip to Lorient on Sunday evening at the end of the 30th day in Ligue 1, the Marseille president defended his choice to recruit the Portuguese: “To judge a player’s level in just eight weeks (he arrived on January 31) is a symptom of today’s society,” said the OM president on Thursday in an interview with Figaro. For Vitina, it is demagogic to judge so quickly. Evaluating players requires patience.”
