He is now linked to Olympique de Marseille until 2024: Dimitri Payet extended two more seasons with OM, as announced by club president Jacques-Henri Eyraud on Saturday afternoon. The 33-year-old Marseille attacking midfielder has been at the club since 2017 and will then become "Marseillais à vie", in the words of "JHE", who also spoke about the buyout offer from the club.
Salary halved next season
"I love the club and I am ready to do whatever it takes to help it grow," said Payet during a press conference alongside his president Jacques-Henri Eyraud and his coach André Villas. -Boas. "JHE" detailed the extent of the decline, the player having said he wanted to "play card on the table". Dimitri Payet will "halve his salary for 2020-2021 and 30% for 2021-2022," said Jacques-Henri Eyraud.
Over the two more years of his contract, from 2022 to 2024, Payet then agreed that "his base salary would be reduced by 30 to 40% and waived his European qualification bonuses," added the manager. Finally "a large part of his remuneration from his last two" contract years will be indexed to the number of matches played by Payet, 33 years old. A few weeks ago, Dimitri Payet had refused to accept a drop in his gross monthly salary of 500,000 euros while OM faces major financial difficulties.
"The players have to make an effort"
In financial terms, this represents "considerable effort", according to Jacques-Henri Eyraud. "Dimitri came to tell me he wanted to be Marseillais for life," said the president, adding that he was going to "extend two years at OM until 2024 and beyond in a retraining project". "I am extremely happy, this is an important day for me," said Dimitri Payet. "The club picked me up a number of years ago when I needed it, they did what it took to keep me coming back. What the club gave me, I want to give it back, "he added.
Having passed OM for the first time (2013-2015), "Dim" returned to La Canebière at the 2017 winter transfer window, where he was the big recruit of the McCourt project: 30 million euros to repatriate him from West Ham , in England. "The idea started to sprout in my head when the club spoke about phase 2" of the Eyraud / McCourt project. The players have to make an effort, who better than me to set an example? "Said Payet." Loving the club, saying it is good, showing it is better. "