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Steve Marlet |
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Fulham's French international striker Steve Marlet has joined Marseille on loan until the end of the season.
Marlet was due in Marseille today and, subject to a medical tomorrow, he will join the French club.
Marseille will have an option to buy Marlet at the end of the loan period.
The deal was approved by Fulham owner Mohamed Al Fayed late yesterday, according to Marseille.
Marlet started his career with Red Star, the tiny Parisian club founded by a young Jules Rimet in 1899, and had also played for Auxerre and Lyon before moving to Fulham during the 2001-02 season.
Marlet had talked recently of moving to Marseille but Fulham boss Chris Coleman was clear in his intention to keep the striker at Loftus Road.
Fulham confirmed Marlet's departure in a short statement .
It read: "Fulham FC today announce Steve Marlet has joined Marseille on loan."
The 28-year-old's exit comes after a series of contradicting statements by him.
After scoring for France in last Wednesday's 2-0 victory in Switzerland, he said: "Fulham no longer want me and Marseille correspond to what I'm looking for."
Cottagers boss Coleman promptly held talks with Marlet, reassuring him he was wanted by the club.
The forward responded by committing himself to the Londoners.
But he was left out of the squad for Saturday's 3-1 defeat at Everton and Coleman explained afterwards: "I spoke to Steve on Friday and he told me he wanted to stay at the club.
"Then two hours later he rang me to say he wanted to leave.
"I'm not prepared to have a player in the squad who has said he wants to leave the club."
Marlet's exit comes two months after Fulham started behind-the-scenes moves to dispose of him and thereby reduce their wage bill.
It was back in June that it was revealed the Cottagers asked his agent Pascal Boisseau to search for clubs interested in his client.
The Cottagers' willingness to say goodbye to the man who cost a club record £11.5million in August 2001 stems from his lucrative contract.
He joined from Lyon on a five-year deal with built-in wage increases, taking his salary up to £40,000-a-week by the end of his employment in 2006.
After mustering a total of just 10 league goals during his first two seasons in west London, he produced arguably his best Fulham performance in the opening day 3-2 victory against Middlesbrough.
That will also prove to be his final game in a Fulham shirt unless Marseille opt not to take up their option to purchase him when the loan expires in next summer