When Roberto De Zerbi left Brighton & Hove Albion at the end of this past season, speculation ran rampant about where he would go next. With a number of high profile openings in his native Italy, it was thought he would go there.
He was also linked to several Premier League jobs, including the giants Manchester United and Liverpool.
We have an answer now- as Marseille, in the French Ligue 1, made an announcement. The Guardian has more here.
De Zerbi took over for Graham Potter, when he left to replace Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea. De Zerbi accomplished a lot, in just two years, at Brighton.
He led the club to their highest ever Premier League finish (sixth) and first ever qualification into European competition. Like many other candidates out there, De Zerbi turned own Bayern Munich along the way to taking his next gig.
The 45-year-old now takes over at Marseille from Jean-Louis Gasset, who recently retired.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.