Roberto De Zerbi confirmed as new Marseille manager after Brighton & Hove Albion exit
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Published 29/06/2024 at 21:45 GMT+1
Roberto De Zerbi’s next club after leaving Brighton & Hove Albion has now been confirmed as French giants Marseille in what is somewhat of a surprising move. De Zerbi was linked to the likes of Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Chelsea after leaving The Seagulls but instead has made the switch to France where he will try and revive Marseille.
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Ligue 1 giants Marseille have confirmed the appointment of Italian manager Roberto De Zerbi after he left Brighton & Hove Albion at the end of the Premier League season.
De Zerbi, 45, joins a Marseille side who endured a chaotic season, at one point being close to the relegation zone before eventually rebounding under interim manager Jean-Louis Gasset, finishing eighth but still missing out on European football.
The French side have confirmed the deal and that the Italian has put pen to paper on a contract lasting until 2027.
"I am very happy to sign with Olympique de Marseille," De Zerbi said. "I felt a strong desire to join this club.
"The history and prestige surrounding OM, the passion and fervour of its supporters, the seriousness and enthusiasm shown to me by Frank [McCourt, club owner], Pablo [Longoria, club president] and Medhi [Benatia, sporting director] were decisive in my decision to take on this exciting challenge.
"I can't wait to sit on the bench at the Orange Velodrome, this time as coach of OM, and help the club regain the rank that Marseille deserves."
De Zerbi won plenty of plaudits for his work at Brighton after joining in September 2022 following Graham Potter's departure to join Chelsea.
In his first season in charge, De Zerbi took the club to sixth in the Premier League, qualifying for Europe for the first time as well as reaching the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
However, in his second season, the club struggled with injuries and could not cope with the additional games that the UEFA Europa League brought, eventually finishing 11th.
At the end of the season, it was confirmed by the club that they and the manager would be parting ways.
De Zerbi was immediately linked to Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Chelsea but the former and latter chose Vincent Kompany and Enzo Maresca respectively, whilst United decided to keep faith with incumbent Erik ten Hag.
De Zerbi takes over a Marseille team who have only finished second twice in Ligue 1 in the past decade and have consistently failed to challenge France’s dominant force, PSG.
They do, however, boast the league’s fourth-highest top scorer in former Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who scored 17 goals last season.
Aubameyang also created eight assists, the joint-most of any player in Ligue 1.
Club owner McCourt said of the appointment: "I am delighted that Roberto is joining us at OM and that he shares our vision for the future of the club.
"Roberto understands the strength of the sporting project that Pablo is building and I am convinced that his passion and experience will contribute to enhancing the potential of the team and the club.
"His arrival marks the beginning of an ambitious new chapter and is an essential element of our strategy for the future success of OM."
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