Thauvin thrilled with OM switch

Florian Thauvin says he is delighted with his move to Marseille and believes it was the right decision in terms of further developing his career. The French Under-20 World Cup winner sealed his 15million euro move to the Stade Velodrome from Ligue 1 rivals Lille on deadline day, just months after joining Les Douges. Astonishingly, Thauvin had not yet played a single competitive game for the Metropole club, having been loaned straight back to Bastia upon signing in January, and Lille president Michel Seydoux concedes the offer from OM was to good to turn down. "An offer like this, for a player who is yet to prove himself, cannot reasonably be refused," Seydoux told Ligue 1's official website. "So we accepted the offer in the best interests of the club." Thauvin, though, believes he made the right choice to join last year's Ligue 1 runners-up and is looking forward to a new challenge with his boyhood club. "I'm really very happy," the 20-year-old said. "This is my favourite club. Everyone knows what this club represents. The city lives and breathes football. The team always finishes high up the table and is in the Champions League. "It's a huge step forward. There is lots of hard work to do, and a lot to prove. It's a personal challenge; I have set myself a lot of objectives and I hope to achieve them here."