Roberto De Zerbi has left French club Olympique Marseille by mutual consent, days after their embarrassing 5-0 defeat to champions Paris Saint-Germain.
The Italian took over at the club in 2024 after leaving English club Brighton and Hove Albion and now departs after under two years un charge.
He guided the club to second place in the previous campaign, although they finished 19 points behind PSG and secured a return to the UEFA Champions League.
However, a 3-0 defeat against Club Brugge a fortnight ago saw them crash out of the UCL league-phase, as they finished outside of the first 24 spots after winning three and losing five of their eight games.
“Olympique de Marseille and Roberto De Zerbi, coach of the first team, have announced the end of their collaboration by mutual agreement,” Marseille said in a statement.
“Following discussions between all stakeholders in the club’s management – the owner, president, director of football, and coach – it was decided to make a change at the helm of the first team.
“This was a difficult collective decision, taken after careful consideration in the best interests of the club, in order to respond to the sporting challenges of the end of the season.”
This season, they are currently in fourth position after their recent defeat and are 12 points off top spot, making their chances of ending their league drought very bleak.
This leaves only the Coupe de France as their only realistic hope of winning a silverware at the end of the season, with a quarterfinal clash against Toulouse to come next month.
Marseille also signed four players during the winter transfer window, hoping it would help bridge the gulf in quality to PSG.
De Zerbi could return to management very soon, as he is being linked to take over at both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, who are in search for a new permanent manager.
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