Former MHSC player Elye Wahi finally leaves OM with immediate effect after a turnaround

Wahi played in OM's stinging victory in Montpellier (0-5) which sealed Michel Der Zakarian's fate. Midi Libre – JEAN-MICHEL MART

Eintracht Frankfurt recruited French striker from Olympique de Marseille and former MHSC player Elye Wahi (22 years old) on Friday, January 24, the German club announced in a press release, a reinforcement that will compensate for the departure of Egyptian international Omar Marmoush to Manchester City.

Elye Wahihas signed a five-and-a-half-year contract until the summer of 2030 with Eintracht, currently third in the Bundesliga and in an ideal position to secure one of the four tickets to the next Champions League.

The amount of the transaction has not been revealed, but according to German and French media, the transfer is worth between 25 and 28 million euros, including bonuses. This could allow MHSC – who trained him in part with Caen – to recover a little money.

Within Eintracht's offensive animation, Elye Wahi will be reunited with another Frenchman, Hugo Ekitiké, who formed with Marmoush the second best duo in the Bundesliga with 24 goals, behind the 25 goals of Harry Kane (16) and Jamal Musiala (9).

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Eclos à Montpellier

Revealed at MHSC, where he scored 19 goals in Ligue 1 during the 2022-2023 season, Wahi arrived last summer in Marseille after a mixed season at Lens (12 goals in all competitions). At OM, he was the No. 1 striker in the minds of the management and his coach Roberto De Zerbi, but he had a difficult start and was quickly overtaken by Neal Maupay in the hierarchy.

He had played little for several months and not at all for a few weeks due to a thigh injury. Until recently, the departure of the French international hopeful seemed very unlikely and in mid-December.

De Zerbi: “Making courageous choices”

Pablo Longoria had even ruled out a transfer: “We believe a lot in his potential. Marseille isn't waiting for anyone, but every player has their time to adapt. I'm sure we have one of the best young strikers in Europe. His time will come, he has to stay calm. He has all the qualities to make his mark here.”

“There comes a time when you have to make decisions and understand if a player is in the right place in a club”, stressed Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi at a press conference on Friday, who had acknowledged having to “make courageous choices”. “Otherwise, you can't be the coach of OM”, he said again.