There are three new faces to have appeared on the Old Port of Marseille this summer. With Angel Gomes, who arrived freely from Lille, and Facundo Medina, transferred from Lens, Conrad Egan-Riley is the other last recruit of the Phocaean club. English is also the most unknown, since unlike the other two, it has never evolved in Ligue 1. Trained in Manchester City alongside Cole Palmer or Jamie Gittens, the 22 -year -old defender evolved last season in Burnley, where he greatly worked on the return of Clarets in the Premier League. It is no coincidence that his team collected only 16 goals in 46 days of championship, and his presence in the type team of EFL Championship is not a mystery either.
Its complementarity with French Maxime Estève made it the best hinge in the championship: one signed at OM, while the other is courted by several top clubs of Premier League, like Tottenham. A real relationship was therefore born between the two men, even if Egan-Riley claims not to have asked his friend before joining OM. The winner of the last Euro Hopes with England, on the other hand, revealed behind the scenes of his discussion with his friend Jonathan Rowe: “I spoke with Rowe recently, I asked him questions when we were in selection on the club, the city, the supporters … He only told me positive, I saw the goal he scored against OL, he is a player who has enormous qualitieshe said this on Wednesday at a press conference. He thought it was a good decision for me to come to Marseille (…) when I spoke with my agent and my family, I knew it was the club where I wanted to go. It is the largest French club. »»
He comes to be a holder
If a place in defense seems to be promised at Facundo Medina (who is able to play central and left lateral), the versatility of Egan-Riley could also open doors according to the system used by De Zerbi. This is also an element that immediately appealed to the Marseille recruitment unit: “I have the quality to play these three positions (central defender, right side, recovery environment, editor's note), assured the player spent by the PSV and Hibernian (Scotland) on loan. Coming here, I want to be at the disposal of the coach, having as much time as possible on the field (…) My playing time will depend on the way I train. I feel mentally, physically, but I want to impose myself, even if I respect my teammates. There are great players and there will always be competition. But I will give everything every day.»
A priori, playing every three days is not really new for him. The seamless championship seasons were very formative in its high level learning, and chaining with the Champions League and the Coupe de France does not frighten it: “Play every three days?” It's a habit, it was a bit the same format last season even if it was on a single competition (the championship). We had matches on Tuesday and Saturday. I got used to this physical request. There, we are still in pre-season. I work on my body to play as many games as possible when the season starts ”said number 4 of OM. He could know his first minutes in 10 days against Girona, in a friendly.
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