Zenden settles on Marseille switch
Friday, July 6, 2007
Article summary
Olympique de Marseille have signed winger Boudewijn Zenden following his exit from Liverpool FC - and expect Djibril Cissé to join him at the Stade Vélodrome.
Article body
Free agent
Dutch international Zenden, 30, has arrived at Marseille on a two-year deal after his Liverpool contract expired and he opted to make OM his sixth club in four different countries. Zenden's former Anfield team-mate Cissé is due to follow him in putting pen to paper, with the Mediterranean team announcing they have "agreed in principle" his transfer from Liverpool, who have finalised the transfer of Bayer 04 Leverkusen forward Andriy Voronin. The France striker Cissé scored eight goals in 16 Ligue 1 starts on loan at OM last season.
Zenden credentials
The versatile Zenden, who claimed the last of 54 Netherlands caps in 2004, collected the Eredivisie title and Dutch Cup with PSV Eindhoven before moving to FC Barcelona in 1998 and winning the Primera División. Two seasons with Chelsea FC followed a €13m transfer to England in 2001, yet he was loaned to Middlesbrough FC for the 2003/04 campaign and earned a permanent deal there by scoring the winning goal in the 2004 English League Cup final. He subsequently left for Liverpool in 2005 but managed only 23 Premier League appearances, partly due to a serious knee injury sustained in his first term. He did start the UEFA Champions League final loss to AC Milan, however, and becomes Marseille's seventh summer signing ahead of their return to the élite competition in September.
