Roberto De Zerbi is apparently on the verge of penning a deal to become manager of French giants Olympique Marseille.
Robert De Zerbi To Olympique Marseille
Based on reports from transfer guru, Fabrizio Romano, both parties are currently in the paperwork stage and the deal is close to being finalized.
De Zerbi departed Brighton at the end of the 2023/24 season, having guided them to an 11-placed finish on the Premier League table.
Roberto De Zerbi also led the Seagulls to the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League, ultimately crashing out, following a 1-4 aggregate defeat to AS Roma.
The Italian tactician helped Brighton to secure qualification to European football for the first time in the club’s history during the 2022/23 season and they did it impressively.
Why Did De Zerbi Leave Brighton?
De Zerbi reportedly had a disagreement with the owner-chairman of the Seagulls Tony Bloom about how the club should conduct its business in the transfer market and that reportedly caused his dismissal.
Robert De Zerbi took Brighton to phenomenal heights after replacing Graham Potter on September 18, 2022.
The Italian had them playing a swashbuckling brand of football and they developed talented players that were signed to bigger clubs, namely; Alexis Mac Allister, who joined Liverpool from Brighton for a fee of €42 million.
Additionally, Moises Caicedo also joined Chelsea for a fee of €116 million and Leandro Trossard moved to Arsenal for a fee of €24 million.
De Zerbi has managed several clubs in his managerial career, including; Sassuolo, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Benevento.
Roberto De Zerbi has won just one trophy in his managerial career – the Ukrainian Super Cup title.
Below-par Season For Olympique Marseille
Meanwhile, Olympique Marseille finished eighth in the league table last season, ending the campaign under boss Jean-Louis Gasset, who replaced Gennaro Gattuso as manager of the side in February 2024.
It was an underwhelming year for the French side, who had the year before finished 3rd on the log and were hoping to build on their impressive outing in the 2023/24 season.
However, they didn’t achieve anything worthy of praise, bar individual brilliance from forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who netted 30 goals and provided 11 assists in 51 appearances across all competitions.
Moreover, Gasset’s deal was until the end of the season, with the 70-year-old announcing his retirement following the expiration of his contract.
Olympique Marseille’s potential new manager, De Zerbi, was linked with teams like Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United following his departure from Brighton.
Chelsea and Liverpool were without managers but instead opted to appoint Enzo Maresca and Arne Slot respectively, while Manchester United decided to continue their relationship with Erik ten Hag rather than appointing a new gaffer.
It would be fascinating to see how Roberto De Zerbi will galvanize Olympique Marseille in what is expected to be a highly competitive 2024/25 season.
