Marseille appoint ex-Brighton boss De Zerbi as manager

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Marseille have announced the appointment of Roberto de Zerbi as their new manager.

De Zerbi departed from Brighton at the end of last season after spending two years in the Premier League.

The Italian manager has signed a three-year contract, taking over from Jean-Louis Gasset, who retired at the end of the season.

“I had a very strong desire to join the club,” De Zerbi said, adding he wanted to “help the club regain the position that Marseille deserves”.

“He shares our vision for the future of the club,” owner Frank McCourt said.

Former Shakhtar Donetsk coach De Zerbi joined the Seagulls in September 2022 on a four-year contract.

He guided the club to sixth in his first season – their highest top-flight finish – and secured European qualification for the first time in their history.

They finished 11th in the league last campaign and reached the last 16 of the Europa League, before it was “mutually agreed” that he would stand down.

Former Montpellier and Bordeaux boss Gasset, 70, succeeded Gennaro Gattuso on an interim basis in February and led the club to an eighth-place finish in Ligue 1, their lowest placing since 2016.