Sergio Conceicao will not be joining OM. Weary of negotiations that were not progressing, the Marseille club turned to Roberto De Zerbi to offer him the coaching position. Today, after a long wait, Marseille has finally announced an agreement with the Italian tactician for him to officially take over the reins of the club in the coming days.
OM will be able to move forward with their pre-season. After several weeks of negotiating the arrival of Sergio Conceicao and hitting a dead end, the management has taken a different path. As we revealed on June 13th, the Longoria-Benatia duo have chosen Roberto De Zerbi to lead the first team next season. The 45-year-old Italian has recently become available following his departure from Brighton at the end of this season. He will not have taken long to find a new position, as he was courted by other very prestigious clubs.
The news of his arrival in Marseille has just been made official by the Phocéens in a statement announcing an agreement in principle between the two parties. “Olympique de Marseille announces that it has reached an agreement in principle with Roberto De Zerbi. The club is currently working with all stakeholders to formalize the arrival of the Italian coach, as well as his staff, on the OM bench and prepare his arrival in Marseille in the coming days.” We also informed you that the coach is signing a three-year contract. However, this agreement means that some administrative details still need to be settled to definitively officialize the arrival of the Italian tactician.
De Zerbi was highly sought after
This is a very good move by Pablo Longoria and his team. De Zerbi was one of the most sought-after coaches of the moment after his convincing spell at Brighton. Arrived in September 2022 to take over from Graham Potter, the Brescia native will have finished his first season in a fine 6th place, before experiencing more difficulties this season, finishing this exercise in 11th place, without qualification for a European competition. He had also faced OM in the Europa League group stage in the autumn.
Announced at FC Barcelona, Manchester United and especially Bayern Munich, it is finally in Marseille that he lands after having lowered his salary demands. On the Canebière, he will have to revive a club frustrated by a failed season, using all its coaches (Marcelino, Gattuso then Gasset). To do this, the 45-year-old coach arrives with a plethora of staff, including Giovanni Rossi, former sporting director of Sassuolo, and seven other people. It remains to be seen what squad he will have at his disposal by the end of Friday, August 30th, the transfer window closing day. Despite the absence of European competition, the Marseille club should have a competitive team, especially as several players are in the process of being recruited…
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