Loic Remy’s departure from Marseille in January 2013 was far from voluntary. The striker, now with the Blues, recounts the circumstances surrounding his exit in an interview with France Football.
“We were on a training camp in Morocco when José Anigo informed me: ‘We want to sell you.’ I protested, ‘José, we’re in the midst of the season; I don’t wish to leave now…’ He assured me, ‘No worries.’ However, a few days later, he called me in for another discussion. Present were Anigo, Elie Baup, Franck Passi, the fitness coach, the team doctor, and myself. Anigo began, ‘The doctor has complained about your conduct during the holidays. You’re no longer fitting in with the coach.’ Baup then chimed in. I felt he wasn’t the one making the decisions…(He essentially stated,) ‘You haven’t met the expectations for months. We’ve discussed this before.’ It caught me off guard. Just weeks prior, we had a face-to-face conversation, and all seemed fine. It was bewildering. He had been cordial, the quiet type,” recalls Remy.
He continues, “In January 2013, on the eve of a Ligue 1 match against Sochaux, the Marseille manager called me around 11 p.m.: ‘Loïc, you need to come down; José wants to speak with you.’ I replied, ‘We have a match tomorrow. Why does José want to see me at this hour? I’ll see him tomorrow.’ The attendant insisted, ‘No, you must come down now.’ I refused, ‘No, I’m not coming down.’ I hung up. Minutes later, José called back, ‘Aren’t you coming down?’ I questioned, ‘No. What’s going on?’ Anigo revealed, ‘We’ve reached an agreement with Newcastle. You’re leaving tomorrow morning.’ But I hadn’t agreed to anything. I decided not to fight it. Moreover, my agent had started hearing unsettling things, even threats…I’m not a troublemaker. So, I packed my bags and headed to England. Eventually, I joined QPR, who also expressed interest.”
