Things Get Quietly Ugly, Or: Even More Less Baky

By: Martha | July 7th, 2008

Nice flew out to Vichy last night. They’ll spend the next week there, lounging in the hot springs, training and playing their first friendly, scheduled for this Friday. (Trading one resort for another — such are the trials of preseason training.) When the team gathered at the airport to head out, though, one very, very tiny player was missing. Yeah. Koné bailed. It’s not surprising, really, but that doesn’t make it any less disappointing — everyone knows he wants to leave, but why pull something like this, disrespecting the team and pissing off the supporters? (By contrast, Joseph-Désiré Job, who by all accounts is miserable and is leaving as soon as he can find somewhere it go, was reportedly on the plane.) Plus, surely Marseille would want the man to be training with a team, rather than sitting at home with his feet up, Taking a Stand?

The fact that Baky wants to go to l’OM is no surprise — it’s a bigger club with a ground four times the size of the Stade du Ray, a Champions League place, and, if you ask them, a legit shot at knocking Lyon off their Ligue 1 pedestal. Plus, based on the salary rumors floating around the Nice forums, making the move would more than double his salary, bringing him up to nearly €2 million/season — who could say no to that? But! Nice have never said they’re against the sale, they just want what they consider fair value for the player; why go on what amounts to strike against the team that’s in the process of trying to get you what you want? Now he’s got Cohen pissed off at him, which will not exactly put him in the mood to compromise. Me, I’m not pissed about Baky’s decision just, as I said, disappointed. It’s such a silly thing to do, burning bridges like this on the way out of a club. I mean, you never know what the future holds, right? (That said, at least he’s not run off to Marseille and refused to come home — I will give him that.)

The most recent offer from Marseille that anyone knows about was for €8.5 million, with a possible bonus of €1 million if they get past the first Champions League round, but Cohen has dug in his heels for €12 million; we’ll see if Baky’s one-man strike accelerates things today. Then, after he goes, we can start talking about all the rumored replacements. Mmm … rumors.

In quick non-Kone news: Everyone who was training in Nice has gone on to Vichy, including the three trialists and a few youth players. Apam, Diakité, Kanté, Traoré, Coulibaly and Ben Saada are still on vacation after their WC Qualifiers and will join the team next Monday, while Emerse Faé’s holiday is over, and he’ll meet the team in Vichy. David Ospina, meanwhile, will arrive tomorrow to begin the Process of Becoming Niçoise. According to the club, the Process won’t be finished before Thursday — apparently the physical is very demanding — and he’ll start training next Monday, when all the African rejoin the team.