‘People need to know the truth’: Pablo Longoria sets the record straight about Jonathan Clauss

Pablo Longoria discussed the awkward question  of Jonathan Clauss (31) at the presentation of new Cameroonian Olympique de Marseille player Faris Moumbagna (23), reports RMC Sport.

After a four match winless streak in Ligue 1, Marseille have fallen to eighth in the table, a position that falls far below the expectations and ambitions of the club’s hierarchy and fans. After a meeting between players and staff on Monday after the defeat against Olympique Lyonnais and then addressing supporters yesterday, Longoria discussed the Clauss situation: 

“I think it has been eventful. There are situations that need to be explained. There is something more important than anything else and that’s the institution. The institution is very important, and respect for the institution is what all the staff that work at the club owe to it on a daily basis. 

We had many discussions with Jonathan. He’s a player with extraordinary ability, I don’t think there are many full-backs in France with the capacities he has. Furthermore, he is a sensitive and attentive person, a very endearing character but at the moment, as a French international in a period in which we want to see responsibility and leadership, I expect him to be a positive example in many different situations. 

We talked with him alot and we weren’t pleased to hear rumours via intermediaries that Barcelona wanted to sign him. I called Barcelona to find out if it was true, and it wasn’t. It wasn’t a good message to send in public or in private, we took note of this. As well as these conversations, the results in the month of January started a negative trend, the opposite of what we wished for with the actions that we’ve taken. 

With Jonathan Clauss, it was a difficult situation but I will be clear, we spoke this week and there wasn’t a problem of any sort. I think the situation had a positive effect on Jonathan because he trained at a really high level this week. I would like to congratulate him for his level of commitment and I hope he will give us consistency at this difficult moment. There were some things we didn’t appreciate and I wanted to address them now in order to be clear in the eyes of the supporters.

I think it’s important to remind everyone of their responsibilities and right now, Jonathan Clauss needs to be an important player in the team, but that needs to be made up of alot of little things on a daily basis. We expect Jonathan Clauss to be an example for everyone, but especially the young players. There was a moment in which he was not the best role model, but this week he has been exemplary. This week he has undoubtedly been a positive influence. This is what we expect, this stability and that his footballing ability allows him to contribute to our collective goals, which is the most important thing, but also to his individual career goals”.

GFFN | Jack McArdle