Tochukwu Nnadi’s stint at Olympique de Marseille is all but over, with new coach Habib Beye making it clear the Super Eagles midfielder has no role in his plans for next season.
Tochukwu Nnadi signed for Olympique de Marseille in February 2026 for around €6 million from SV Zulte Waregem, but the move is collapsing before it ever truly got started. The key factor is a coaching change that stripped away the one figure who backed his arrival: Roberto De Zerbi, the Italian manager who approved the deal before his sudden departure from the club.
Under De Zerbi’s replacement Habib Beye, Nnadi has become a fringe figure. Insiders close to the club have confirmed that Beye has no intention of keeping the Nigerian, and a summer exit is now considered a near certainty. Since arriving in February, Nnadi has managed a total of just 26 minutes across three appearances, barely enough time to tie his bootlaces, let alone prove himself in Ligue 1.
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A Move That Was Always a Gamble
Nnadi’s transfer happened in an unusual window for French football and coincided with one of the most turbulent periods in Marseille’s recent history. The club were already cycling through management before De Zerbi resigned, and Nnadi’s profile as an energetic defensive midfielder suited the Italian’s style but apparently not Beye’s system. The Nigerian had done well in Belgium, bringing work rate and physicality from the Jupiler Pro League, but those qualities need a platform to express themselves.
Marseille themselves are in disarray. After their fifteenth defeat of the season, they sit just two points above the relegation zone with eight games remaining. In that context, Beye cannot afford to carry passengers, and a player with 26 minutes to his name all campaign is hard to justify in a squad battling to stay up. Nnadi is valued at €3 million, already a haircut on the €6 million paid just months ago.
The wider picture for the Super Eagles is concerning. Nnadi was one of the Nigerian players who contributed to the bronze medal run at AFCON 2025 in Morocco, and his long-term development needs consistent club football, not half an hour here and there in a relegation scrap. New users following Ligue 1 betting closely can use the YOHAIG promo code to get started on Bet9ja before the final rounds.
What Comes Next for Nnadi
The most credible destination remains a return to Belgium. Zulte Waregem know his qualities well, and a loan or permanent move back to Ghent would give him the regular minutes he needs at this stage of his career. Other Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 clubs have been mentioned as interested parties, while West Ham United’s name came up earlier in the transfer process before the Marseille move closed. Werder Bremen and clubs in Turkey are also being tracked as possibilities.
What is clear is that Nnadi has not failed at Marseille so much as been failed by Marseille. He arrived for a manager who no longer exists at the club, into a dressing room in crisis and an organisation undergoing its third major upheaval in two seasons. A talented player still only in the early stages of his European career deserves a fairer test than this. Fans hoping to see him back at his best can track developments on Bet9ja bonus code pages and the latest Super Eagles news at FootballInNigeria.com.ng.
📌 Did You Know?
- Nnadi represented Nigeria at AFCON 2025 in Morocco, where the Super Eagles won the bronze medal, meaning his profile was rising internationally even as his club situation deteriorated.
- SV Zulte Waregem, the Belgian club that sold Nnadi to Marseille, have historically been a launching pad for African talent into the top European leagues, with several players using the club to earn bigger moves.
- Roberto De Zerbi, the Marseille manager who signed Nnadi, had previously managed Brighton in the Premier League and Porto, establishing a reputation for nurturing technically sound midfielders from outside Europe’s major leagues.
- Marseille’s current season is on track to be among their worst in the Ligue 1 era if they are relegated, as the club has only dropped out of the top flight once before, in the 1999/2000 campaign.
- Habib Beye, who has frozen out Nnadi, is a former Senegalese international who played in Ligue 1 for several seasons and managed Red Star in France before taking the Marseille job in 2026.
- West Ham United’s interest in Nnadi predates the Marseille deal, meaning the Premier League club has been tracking his development for several months and could re-enter the picture in the summer.
- The €6 million fee Marseille paid for Nnadi made him one of the more expensive transfers from Belgian football to Ligue 1 in recent seasons, reflecting how highly De Zerbi rated him before his departure.
