Olympique Marseille confirm Roberto De Zerbi as new coach following Brighton departure

Italian coach Roberto De Zerbi will be the new manager of Olympique Marseille, the club has confirmed, Soccernet.football reports.

The decision to appoint De Zerbi was made a few weeks ago, but delays occurred due to issues with his release clause from Brighton and Hove Albion.

On Monday evening, Marseille released a statement to clarify the situation.

“Olympique de Marseille has announced that it has reached an agreement in principle with Roberto De Zerbi.

“The club is currently working with all parties involved to formalize the arrival of the Italian coach and his staff on the OM bench, and to prepare for his arrival in Marseille in the coming days.”

De Zerbi is set to sign a three-year contract after deciding to leave Brighton over a disagreement about transfer strategy. Brighton initially sought a €6m fee for releasing the coach, but this amount may be negotiated.

De Zerbi, 45, gained prominence at Benevento in 2017-18 and then enjoyed success with Sassuolo over three years. His time at Shakhtar Donetsk was cut short by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, leading him to join Brighton in September 2022.

Olympique Marseille have previously shown a preference for Italian coaches, having recently hired and fired Gennaro Gattuso.

De Zerbi joins a Marseille side that finished 8th in Ligue 1 last season and reached the semifinal of the Europa League before losing to eventual winners Atalanta BC.