Marseille financial squeeze could give Ibrahim Gomis surprise route into senior squad

Olympique de Marseille are seriously considering promoting 21-year-old goalkeeper Ibrahim Gomis to become their number two this season, as the club’s financial difficulties limit their ability to recruit an experienced replacement.

Marseille have urgent financial needs and did not sign a single player during the transfer window. The club have also sold first-choice goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli to Manchester City, leaving Dutchman Jeffrey de Lange, 28, as the leading option between the posts.

The alternatives behind de Lange are currently limited. Belgium goalkeeper Jelle Van Neck, 22, has little experience, while 29-year-old reserve-team goalkeeper Theo Vermot is also part of the available group.

According to insider Mohamed Toubache-Ter, promoting Gomis has now become a serious possibility.

«Ca pousse fort fort pour placer Ibrahim Gomis en numero 2 dans les buts de l’Olympique de Marseille!», a-t-il indique.

With Olympique de Marseille having little room to increase their wage bill, signing another experienced goalkeeper appears difficult. Turning to a player already at the club has therefore emerged as a credible alternative.

Gomis was born on 20 March 2005 in Perpignan, in French Catalonia near the Spanish border. He is two metres tall and has Senegalese heritage through his father and Moroccan roots through his mother.

He began his career with Thonon Evian before joining the academy at Dijon. Gomis later moved to Olympique de Marseille, where he gradually became part of the club’s reserve set-up. He remains a member of the Marseille Pro 2 squad and is under contract until June 2028.

The goalkeeper also has an important international achievement to his name. He was part of the Morocco Under-20 generation that won the World Cup at that level.

Being named number two would represent a significant acceleration in Gomis’ development. The move would not immediately threaten de Lange’s position as the first-choice goalkeeper, but it would give Gomis the opportunity to train consistently with the professional squad.

That increased involvement could bring him closer to making his first-team debut, particularly if Marseille rotate their goalkeepers or de Lange becomes unavailable.

For Olympique de Marseille, the decision would offer one of the few positive outcomes from a difficult financial situation. A restriction that has prevented the club from strengthening during the transfer window could instead create an opening for a promising young goalkeeper already within their system.

The possible promotion would also provide Gomis with a clear pathway at a crucial stage of his career. Rather than looking outside the club for a short-term solution, Marseille could use their existing resources while giving a member of their academy structure a chance to move closer to senior football.

Any decision would underline the limited options currently available behind de Lange, but it would also reflect the progress Gomis has made since joining the club and establishing himself within the reserve group.