Pep Guardiola praised him several times, FC Bayern had him on their list for a while: The fact that Roberto de Zerbi has now opted for a Ligue 1 club that won’t even be playing in Europe from the summer is quite surprising
One of the most sought-after coaches on the market has opted for a new club. However, Roberto de Zerbi is not moving to a championship contender that will be competing in the top flight in the new season. The Italian coach, who Pep Guardiola once praised as “one of the most influential coaches of the last 20 years”, was probably looking for a new “project”.
This is what de Zerbi will be doing, quite surprisingly, from July 1 at Olympique Marseille, where he succeeds Jean-Louis Gasset. The dormant French giant only finished eighth in Ligue 1 last season and is therefore not even allowed to compete for an international title in the Conference League.
Following the agreement reached, which OM announced in the evening, de Zerbi is expected to sign a contract with OM in the near future – a contract until 2027 was being discussed. The new coach is worth six million euros to the French club, which will be paid for the Italian, who was originally tied to former club Brighton & Hove Albion until 2026.
Unexpected farewell from England
At the Seagulls, where Fabian Hürzeler will succeed him, de Zerbi had written his very own success story. In September 2022, he took over Brighton from Graham Potter, who had left for Chelsea FC, and led them to an outstanding sixth place in his first season. Brighton only finished eleventh last season, but the inspiring attacking soccer practised by de Zerbi led the club to the round of 16 in their first ever Europa League season (knocked out by AS Roma).
Before Brighton’s last Premier League game, which they lost 2-0 to Manchester United, de Zerbi surprisingly announced his departure. Surprising because he had spoken openly about staying days before.
The rumor mill was buzzing as a result. De Zerbi, who had also been considered as Thomas Tuchel’s successor at FC Bayern, was linked to various Serie A stars as well as Manchester United.
But now he wants to write his own next story. In Marseille
