Arthur Vermeeren’s Marseille spell ended with more shadows than minutes, but the Belgian midfielder insists the difficult season has not defined him. Back at Antwerp after his 2025-26 loan at OM, the 21-year-old has reflected on a campaign altered by one early-2026 dismissal and the long wait that followed.
A red card that changed his Marseille season
Vermeeren arrived at Marseille on loan in the summer of 2025 and initially felt he had made a positive start. That momentum disappeared in the 2-0 victory over Nantes at the beginning of 2026, when he was sent off.
“I had started well there, until that stupid red card,” Vermeeren said. “It changed everything for me.”
- Vermeeren made 26 appearances for Marseille.
- He registered two assists during his loan spell.
- His game time became very limited in the weeks and months after the Nantes sending-off.
- Marseille did not retain the Belgian international at the end of the season.
The midfielder said he understood that his mistake carried consequences, even if some players around him considered his reduced role harsh.
De Zerbi’s direct approach
Roberto De Zerbi remained a significant figure in Vermeeren’s account of the season. The Belgian said the Marseille coach was forceful and direct, but maintained that the Italian had shown faith in him before the turning point.
“De Zerbi is very imposing and straightforward,” he said. “He gave me a lot of confidence, and when you make an error like that, you have to accept the consequences.”
Vermeeren acknowledged the frustration of barely featuring afterwards, while refusing to turn his former manager into the villain of the story.
- He said he spoke with De Zerbi on several occasions after losing his place.
- He chose not to disclose the content of those conversations.
- De Zerbi left Marseille not long afterwards.
- Despite the limited playing time, Vermeeren said he retains a positive impression of the coach.
Kondogbia training-row claim dismissed
Vermeeren also rejected reports that he had been involved in a serious confrontation with Geoffrey Kondogbia during training. He described the episode as a routine but intense session after a defeat, not a fight.
“That is completely false. It was turned into a joke,” he said. “It was training the day after a loss, with all the substitutes involved. Those are mentally the toughest sessions.”
He accepted that tempers were strained and tackles were strong, but denied that events escalated beyond that.
“There were hard challenges and frustration, yes. But a fight? Not at all.”
Back at Antwerp, looking forward
Now back in Antwerp, Vermeeren does not see Marseille as a final verdict on his career. He believes the difficult spell has made him mentally stronger and more mature than before.
“Because of everything that happened, I am mentally more mature than my teammates,” he said. “The hard periods have toughened me up. People seem to think I am older too.”
The midfielder pushed back against suggestions that returning to Antwerp at 21 represented a decline.
“Some people say, ‘He is already back at Antwerp, so his career is over.’ Come on, I am 21. My career is only beginning. I want to get back to the top as quickly as possible, but in the right way and without rushing.”
