Trabelsi Drawing Interest from Le Mans and Marseille

Although he decided to leave the National team behind after last year’s world cup and is currently clubless, Hatem Trabelsi remains a valuable commodity. He is a right sided defender who grew up playing in the right side of midfield. That early experience of playing in a midfield role has given him an attacking mindset that he still expresses from the right back position. Most will remember him for his time with Ajax Amsterdam from 2001 to 2006. To this day, he is the only Tunisian player to have participated in the Champions League (I’m pretty sure that’s a fact, correct me if I’m wrong). He had a brief spell with Manchester City last year but never really fit in like he did at Ajax (except he didn’t look so bad when he scored this stunning goal in the Manchester derby).

Trabelsi is currently visiting with Le Mans and is also drawing interest from Marseille who are looking to replace Habib Beye who recently left for Newcastle United. Apparently being clubless has it’s advantages, especially after the transfer window closes. Essentially, this has given Hatem the opportunity to wait for offers and seek out a situation that is comfortable for him. Let’s not forget, this is a man that very nearly made it into Arsene Wenger’s squad in 2005. And if you know of Arsene’s knack for finding talent, then that says something. In fact, Trabelsi was actually in the team according to Pro Evolution Soccer aka Winning Eleven that year. Too bad it never actually materialized.

Le Mans seem to have made him their top priority but personally, I would much rather see him in a Marseille jersey where he would be competing in the Champions League once again. Nevermind the prestige that goes along with it, I also think that it would just be a better choice career wise for a guy who is maybe our only world class player. Hopefully he doesn’t make a decision simply on the basis of money like many Tunisian players do. Then again, some of my friends in Tunis told me that he’s responsible for filling who knows how many bellies in his city of Sfax. So I guess that makes cash a priority… We’ll find out soon enough.