Lucho Gonzalez has told RMC his former boss, Marcelo Bielsa, was telling the truth when he publicly lashed out at the Marseille hierarchy for their disappointing summer transfer window.
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Bielsa, 59, last week claimed he had been lied to by his bosses when he agreed to join L'OM this summer, and that none of the squad's summer recruits had been signed upon his say-so while his own list of targets had been ignored.
Currently on holiday, Marseille president Vincent Labrune has played down the chances of a potential punishment of Bielsa, though a number of prominent voices -- including legendary former club president Bernard Tapie and Lyon boss Jean-Michel Aulas -- argue the Argentine coach should be strongly reprimanded.
Former Marseille midfielder Lucho, 33, who was given his Albiceleste debut by Bielsa in 2003, insisted the man in charge at the Stade Velodrome is not prone to exaggeration, and had simply given his version of events.
"Marcelo is a very forthright person, who always tells the truth. He doesn't pick his moment -- regardless of whether it's good or bad," he said. I believe him that he gave a list of players to recruit. That's the reality of the transfer window, and he waited until the end of the transfer window to tell the truth.
"He's not someone who looks for excuses. He always tells the truth. Perhaps Vincent made the effort, but we don't know the players Marcelo asked for. Perhaps the players brought in by OM are third-choice targets. We'll never know."
Given Bielsa's fiery temperament, there have been suggestions he could emulate his six-game spell in charge of Espanyol, who he left after a bad start to take charge of his native country's national team in 1998.
Lucho, however, believes the man who worked so successfully with Athletic Bilbao will honour the two-year deal he signed just a couple of months ago, with Bielsa himself suggesting as much last week.
"He signed at Marseille for a project of two or three years," said Lucho, who currently plays for Qatari side Al Rayyan. "I'm sure that he's going to continue, that the team will improve. I think it'll go well at Marseille."