New Marseille recruit Pape Gueye says he was surprised by the intensity of training at the club, and he is certain he made the right choice by joining the French giants.
The 21-year-old Franco-Senegalese midfielder - who has been compared to France midfielders Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante - moved to the Stade Velodrome after his contract with Le Harve had expired.
He had initially signed a pre-contract with Premier League club Watford, but he cancelled the deal due to contract irregularities which upset him.
Gueye has had a great start to life at Marseille, scoring the first goal in a 5-1 friendly win over Austrian club Saalfelden last week.
“It's true that there has been a change in everything. Whether it is the organisation, the training sessions, the intensity of the training sessions,” Gueye said in an interview on the official Marseille YouTube Channel.
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“At first, I was surprised by the intensity. I knew it was not the same but there was a lot of intensity, we are training with great players and good young people and that's what makes me think I made the right choice to progress throughout of my career.”
Marseille finished the previous Ligue 1 season in second place meaning they qualified for the Champions League for the first time in seven years, when they finished last in Group F behind Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal and Napoli, who all claimed maximum points against the French club both home and away.
Gueye says it’s a dream to play among Europe’s elite and above all with one of France’s most decorated clubs.
“It's a dream to be in a team that plays in the Champions League. They did a good job last year and I followed almost every game,” he continued.
“It's a dream in addition to playing for Olympique de Marseille, at the Stade Velodrome where I never had the chance to play. They told me about it and it's a dream.”
Marseille are the only French club to have won the Champions League, doing so in 1993-94 when they saw off AC Milan 1-0 at the Olympia Stadion in Munich.
Andre Villas-Boas’ men will resume the 2020-21 Ligue 1 season with a home tie against French Cup runners-up Saint-Etienne.
