Tuesday, 4th September, 2012
Marseille president Vincent Labrune has dubbed Nicolas N’Koulou as every bit as good as Paris Saint-Germain defender Thiago Silva.
PSG splashed out in excess of €40M to snap up Silva from AC Milan this summer and in so doing signed one of the best centre-backs in world football.
Marseille meanwhile were engaged in a cost-cutting exercise and notably bid farewell to defenders Stephane Mbia and Cesar Azpilicueta.
N’Koulou was also linked with the exit door, with AC Milan and Manchester City both keen on the 22-year-old Cameroon international – but he stayed put on the French south coast after being dubbed "untransferrable" by Marseille.
And Labrune has revealed that he believes the defender to be every bit as good as Silva and has him pencilled in to become the new symbol of the team.
"I read rave reviews about Thiago Silva, who is supposed to be the best in the world", Labrune told France Football.
"I do not know if this is true, but what I believe is that Nicolas N’Koulou is at least as strong as he is.
"He is a true leader in defence and has an exceptional mentality.
"He will go very far.
"Early in March we said the player was untransferrable. We wanted Nicolas to be the symbol of our reconstruction."
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