Marseille president insists he has NO regrets over signing Mason Greenwood… and blasts the city’s mayor for publicly opposing his £30m move from Man United

Club president Pablo Longoria has doubled down on Marseille’s decision to sign Mason Greenwood, claiming he has no regrets about the deal.

Greenwood joined Marseille from Manchester United in July for £30million after spending a season on loan at Getafe.

However, Greenwood’s move to Marseille became controversial after he was arrested in January 2022 on suspicion of attempted rape, sexual assault and coercive behaviour.

The charges were dropped by the Public Prosecution Service and the Red Devils completed their own internal investigation, but Marseille fans still had their reservations.

Marseille mayor Benoit Payan was among those who spoke out publicly against Greenwood’s arrival, saying he did not want his club to be “disgraced by someone who beats his wife”.

Marseille have seen an immediate return on their investment in the former United star, with Greenwood scoring five goals in his first three appearances

Greenwood completed a £30million move from Manchester United to Marseille in July this year after spending a season on loan at Getafe

However, Longoria is still convinced that Marseille made the right decision in signing the 22-year-old as they ‘reviewed all the information’ before signing the deal for the former United star.

Speaking at the Thinking Football Summit, Longoria said of the decision: “The mayor’s comments validate what we’ve done, [they did] not have all the information.

“We made the decision internally. OK, there was some resistance, that was objective, but at the same time it gave us the power to maybe not do an investigation, because I’m not a judge, but to use all the information to make the best decision, which I think we did.”

He added: ‘In our very first conversation with the coach [Roberto de Zerbi] we mentioned Mason’s name. The coach knew Mason from before and it was a very short conversation at the beginning between all of us because we believe in Mason’s talent.

“There have been many conversations between all of us in the weeks leading up to his move. He has been fantastic with us and we are very happy to have him playing in our team.”

Marseille have seen an immediate return on their investment in the former United star, with Greenwood scoring five goals in his first three appearances for the club, and being named Marseille’s Player of the Month for August as a result.

Greenwood has largely kept a low profile in the media since leaving United but beamed when he was named the club’s star player of the month after an impressive start to life in France.

“This is my first month here and it’s great to win this award. First of all, I want to thank the fans who voted for me. I really appreciate it,” he told Marseille’s official X account.

“Without my teammates and the coaching staff and everyone at the club who helped me, this award would not have been possible. I came here in the middle of pre-season and immediately got a good connection and we showed that in the first game against Brest.

“We are getting more and more comfortable as the games go on, we are in a good position in the league and want to keep moving forward. It is amazing that I have never experienced such a crowd before, I have played in many stadiums in Europe and this was the loudest,” he added.

“My first goal there meant a lot to me. Hopefully there can be many more this season. I just want to help the team as much as I can, whether that’s scoring, assisting or giving 100 percent on the pitch, and we want to finish as high as possible in the league as a team.

“I want to thank you all very much and I hope we have many more great moments in the season,” said Greenwood.

However, the mayor of Marseille was less than impressed with the club’s decision to sign Greenwood, and gave his thoughts on the matter prior to the deal earlier this year.

He told RMC sports: ‘Greenwood’s behavior is indescribable, unacceptable. Hitting his wife… I saw images that shocked me deeply. To abuse his wife in this way is unbecoming of a man and he cannot have his place in this team.

Greenwood has largely kept a low profile in the media since leaving United, but beamed when he was unveiled in July (pictured above)

Some Marseille fans were concerned about the former Man United player’s singing

“The values ​​of OM and Marseille are in fact anything but that. It is a disgrace. I will ask Pablo Longoria not to recruit Greenwood. I do not want my club to be covered with the shame of someone who beats his wife.

‘Olympique de Marseille is more than a club. It is a spirit, and there is no place for those who behave in this way, for those who commit these types of crimes and violations. It is unbearable. I cannot imagine for a second that Pablo Longoria would make this big mistake.’

But Greenwood has consistently denied any wrongdoing