Steve Marlet is the man who
has opted for Rochdale in preference to Barcelona and is happy about his
choice.
Fulham have signed the French striker from Lyon for £11.5 million,
so he can look forward to a Worthington Cup match at Spotland rather than
a Champions League confrontation at the Nou Camp.
| |
|
|
| |
 |
|
| |
Steve
Marlet
picture |
|
| |
Position |
Striker |
|
| |
P.O.B. |
Pithiviers,
France |
|
| |
D.O.B |
10/01/1974 |
|
| |
Weight |
11st 5 |
|
| |
Height |
5' 10" |
|
|
Other
Steve Marlet Stories
|
No wonder his transfer has prompted quizzical
reactions among his compatriots in the French national squad, who are in
Chile for a friendly.
'Where is Fulham?' they have asked. 'Is it a big town? Is it near London?'
Marlet made it clear to them that he wanted to become part of Jean Tigana's
revolution on the banks of the Thames.
He said: 'They contacted me last season but after I weighed up all the advantages
and disadvantages, I decided to stay at Lyon. Just recently, Fulham came
back with another offer and, because of that, I felt the club really wanted
me.
'I had to look at the choices, sporting and financial. But sport is more
important and I saw that there was a lot of ambition at Fulham.'
So ambitious that it is reckoned 27-year-old Marlet will move into the £50,000-a-week
bracket.
He was further convinced that the move was right after Tigana's guided tour
and hard sell of the club. It reminded Marlet of where Lyon stood two years
ago.
'That is when the Lyon team of today was being built,î he said. 'Fulham
reminded me of that situation. I could see the ambition and, as well as
that, Tigana knows me and I know him. It's good for me to have a French
coach.'
There is also the same incentive for Marlet as there is for every talented
French player at the end of this season; the chance to play in the World
Cup finals in Japan and South Korea.
'I thought about the risk of going to another club just a year before the
World Cup,' Marlet said. 'But if a club pays more than £10m in a transfer
fee then that club clearly wants me. That means I will play.
'Yes, there was the chance for me to play against Barcelona with Lyon, and
it was an attractive prospect, but Fulham's ambition helped me to make my
decision.
'They have faith in me, as they showed by making an increased offer this
season. Fulham proved that they really wanted me.' The hunger for success
shown by Tigana also played its part when the Fulham manager discussed his
plans for the future.
'He told me that he wants to get Fulham up with the best teams in the country,
to make them one of the strongest clubs in the next two or three years,î
Marlet said. 'So I want to go to Fulham and help to try to make that happen.'
Alongside him will be Louis Saha, another Frenchman who has made a serious
impact in the opening weeks of the season. Marlet was considerably influenced
by the talented Brazilian Sonny Anderson at Lyon. Now he hopes to help Saha
in the same way.
'I learned a lot from Sonny, he helped me immensely,' Marlet said. 'Perhaps
I can now do the same for Louis. I don't know him that well but he's obviously
a player with great talent. He scored 32 goals last season and I watched
on television when he scored twice against Manchester United. He is clearly
a very good player and I am looking forward to playing alongside him.'
|
Source soccernet by Steve Stammers and Leo Spall