On June 29th, Roberto De Zerbi was officially appointed as the new boss of Marseille following his exit from Brighton at the end of the season. In an interview with Zeta, the newly appointed coach of Les Olympiens discussed his departure from the Premier League outfit.
The former Sassuolo head coach enjoyed a successful spell on the South Coast during his time in England. De Zerbi guided the Seagulls into the last 16 of the Europa League for the first time in the club’s history and was a penalty shootout away from an FA Cup final but eventually lost to Manchester United.
Lauded by the English press for his idiosyncratic but eye-catching style of play, the Italian manager was linked with several clubs following his departure from the Premier League club before OM fended the interest from other clubs to appoint him.
Speaking to Zeta, De Zerbi discussed the ‘difficulty’ of leaving Brighton, “It was a historic period. In addition to sixth place, we played in an FA Cup semi-final, which we lost only on penalties against Manchester United. I launched many players who were sold for record sums. It was difficult to leave.”
GFFN | Liam Wraith