At OM, the total overhaul of the left defense corridor should begin with the surprise arrival of Ulisses Garcia, a file on which the Olympian leaders have been working secretly for several days. A 28-year-old Swiss international, the Young Boys Berne player has built up solid experience over the seasons, particularly in Europe.
If the first matches of 2024 were not likely to bring the crowds to their feet, with two sluggish matches against Thionville (1-0 victory, 32nd final of the Coupe de France) and Strasbourg (1-1, 18th day of Ligue 1), Marseille supporters can always count on the transfer window to experience some turnarounds. While the track leading to the Scot Josh Doig (Hellas Verona) has become more and more insistent in recent days, the Olympian leaders took everyone on the wrong foot Monday evening.
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In the construction site that represents the left lane of defense, where Renan Lodi, the only specialist in the position in the first part of the season, is on his way to Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia), a name appeared out of nowhere: Ulisses Garcia. Everything happened very quickly at the start of the week, to the point that the file of the Swiss international (7 caps, 28 years old), under contract until 2026 with the Young Boys of Bern, is on the verge of being finalized in a transfer estimated at three million euros (plus bonus).
The Marseille management worked secretly on the Ulisses Garcia file because they sensed difficult negotiations coming with Hellas Verona for Josh Doig. And if the 21-year-old Scot was more of a bet on the future, Garcia, for his part, has some certainties for the present.
Solid experience in the Champions League and Europa League
Born in Portugal to Cape Verdean parents, the left back, cousin of Gelson Fernandes (Manchester City, Saint-Etienne, Rennes, Frankfurt) did all his training in Switzerland. After his first steps at FC Onex and Servette Genève, he made his professional debut under the colors of Grasshopper Zurich in 2014. In the summer of 2015, at the age of 19, he joined Werder Bremen for a check for 600,000 euros. After only around twenty Bundesliga matches in three seasons and an unsuccessful loan to Nuremberg, the German adventure, his only experience outside Switzerland before potentially discovering Ligue 1 in the OM jersey, ended in 2018, the year of his return home.
Before the start of the 2018-2019 season, Young Boys Bern invested just under a million euros in him. He definitively launched his career with the Swiss club, notably discovering the Champions League in his first season. His solid European experience is also a big plus for OM, still involved in the Europa League (play-offs on February 15 and 22 against Shakhtar Donestk). In just over five seasons at Young Boys, Ulisses Garcia has played a total of 25 European Cup matches, excluding qualifying matches (13 in the Champions League, 12 matches in the Europa League). This fall, he also started in the six group matches played by his club in C1, with a third place in Group G behind Manchester City and Leipzig.
In the shadow of Ricardo Rodriguez in selection
Described as a calm, serene and technically clean player, he was once announced on the shelves of RC Lens during the last summer transfer window. The consequence of his remarkable performances in the Super League, the Swiss championship, where he has established himself over the seasons as a reference in his position. Last October, local media like Le Matin and the Tribune de Genève did not hesitate to describe him as “the best left back in the championship”. With a subsidiary question: what is he waiting for to establish himself in the Swiss selection? Called up for the first time in September 2021, he struggles to establish himself over time as Ricardo Rodriguez’s understudy (Torino, ex-Wolfsburg, AC Milan). Called up during the last two Nati gatherings in October and November (with three selections up for grabs), he made his big return to the selection after more than a year and a half of absence (March 2022-September 2023).
“It was difficult not to be called up, but I take it as motivation to work harder,” confided the main player when he returned to the selection in October. “I try to give everything, and at the moment, it’s working good for me.” New solid performances with the Olympian tunic on his back could only help him rediscover this flavor of international matches.