#INSERT type:image caption:Michel took the Marseille job after Marcelo Bielsa walked out. END#
Marseille coach Michel has said the club first contacted him about the possibility of taking over before his predecessor Marcelo Bielsa left.
Bielsa led Marseille to a fourth-placed finish in Ligue 1 last season, with his team falling away after having at one stage looked likely to mount an unexpected title challenge.
However, the Argentine stalled over a new deal and walked out just one game into his second season in charge.
Former Getafe and Olympiakos boss Michel, 52, was hired to replace him and told RMC: "The first contacts go back to before the summer, when there was the possibility that Marcelo Bielsa wouldn't come back.
"They talked to me about this possibility and asked if I would be interested in coaching Marseille.
"After that, I didn't have any news. The summer went by, but then Bielsa left and a few days later the club contacted me again so that we could meet."
Marseille won Michel's first game in charge against Troyes 6-0, but not much has gone to plan since then and the club are now fifth bottom of the Ligue 1 table with eight points from nine matches.
Having lost Andre-Pierre Gignac and Andre Ayew over the summer, Marseille sought to bring in another attacking player before the transfer window closed.
But Michel was to be disappointed as moves for Marcus Berg, Wissam Ben Yedder, Simone Zaza and Erik Lamela all failed to materialise.
"The one thing that I asked for during the last week of the transfer window was a centre forward, someone who could fill in for [Michy] Batshuayi, who is the only person bearing this load," Michel said.
"After that, we're not here to judge the budget and financial possibilities of the club. We have this squad and I think we can do good things."