Roberto De Zerbi: What to expect from Marseille's new man?

There was a wave of excitement in the south of France when Olympique de Marseille officially revealed that they had reached an agreement for Roberto De Zerbi to join the club as new manager. The ripples of De Zerbi's appointment won't only be limited to the Vieux Port and Plage des Catalans, but will also be felt by the rest of France. One thing will be guaranteed: his personality and attractive style of play will be the source of fireworks in the upcoming 2024-2025 Ligue 1 season.

The former Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk manager took over Premier League Brighton in September 2022, following the departure of Graham Potter to Chelsea. The Italian would spend two seasons with the Seagulls, securing a historic 6th place Premier League finish in the 2022-2023 season and bringing European football to the Sussex-based side for the first time in the club’s 122-year history. De Zerbi was previously considered for the OM job in the summer of 2022, but the club eventually opted for Croatian boss Igor Tudor after the two parties couldn’t find an agreement on financial terms.

Marseille & De Zerbi: an inevitable love story? 

It was during Brighton’s 2023-2024 UEFA Europa League campaign that De Zerbi faced Marseille on two occasions in a tightly-contested Group B. In September OM were frustrated after letting slip a 2-0 lead at the Vélodrome, as De Zerbi’s side mounted a fight-back to draw level (2-2) thanks to a late penalty via Joao Pedro.

The return fixture at the Amex Stadium would bear more frustration for Les Olympiens as Brighton’s Pedro would score another late goal in a 1-0 victory to see the Seagulls top the Group and condemn Gattuso’s side to the Europa League knockout play-off round.

WATCH: Marseille face De Zerbi's Brighton in the Europa League

It was during these two matches that De Zerbi spoke very fondly of the club from La Provence. The former Napoli player revealed that he had almost joined the club as manager in the summer of 2022. The appeal of France’s one-time UEFA Champions League winners has remained for De Zerbi ever since.

'The club reminds me a bit of Napoli' - a connection close to home for De Zerbi

“Yes it is true, there was the possibility to come here [to Marseille] and for me it was a dream solution but we didn’t find an agreement with the club,” said De Zerbi at the Vélodrome in his pre-match press conference back in September.

“I felt sorry about it because the stadium and these fans would have been a big motivation for me,” admitted the Italian, finally adding “The club reminds me a bit of Napoli when I was there as a player, in terms of the passion of the fans and the stadium”.

Passion is the key word for De Zerbi, and there is no shortage of that at the Vélodrome and its already-Volcanic atmosphere. Expect goals, positional play, and passion from the new OM boss, who cements Ligue 1's status as one of the best leagues for young progressive coaches.