Marseille seal Comandante coup

A banner reading "Bienvenido Comandante" has heralded the arrival of Olympique de Marseille's latest signing after the French side captured FC Porto captain Lucho in a €17m deal.

Just like home
The Argentinian international midfielder, 28, has signed a four-year contract with Didier Deschamps' side, bringing an end to a successful spell in Portugal, in which he claimed the Liga title in each of his four seasons at Porto. "I think that my career will hit new heights here as Marseille are a big club," the man known as El Comandante said after linking up with his new team-mates in Evian. "OM's interest in me and Didier Deschamps' words attracted me here. They have fantastic fans, very similar to those you meet in Argentina."

No1 target
The presence of the "Bienvenido Comandante" (Welcome Commander) banner, unfurled by OM fans, perhaps hints at a lack of surprise for a player named by Deschamps as his No1 target this summer. The coach concedes Lucho "needs to work on his fitness" but is nonetheless delighted to have claimed OM's fourth signing of the summer following the arrivals of Souleymane Diawara, Edouard Cissé and, also unveiled today, left-back Charley Fomen. Fomen has agreed a four-year contract, moving from Cameroonian side Panthère de Ndé. The Ligue 1 runners-up will enter the UEFA Champions League group stage.