February 11, (THEWILL) — Olympique Marseille have confirmed the departure of head coach, Roberto De Zerbi, following a mutual agreement reached on Wednesday morning. The decision comes days after the club suffered a 5-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in Le Classique at Parc des Princes.
According to RMC, De Zerbi no longer possesses the mental strength required to complete the campaign. The Italian manager, who joined the club in 2024 on what was intended to be a minimum three-year project, will leave after just 18 months in charge. His assistants, Pancho Abardonado and Romain Ferrier, who oversee the reserve team, may take temporary control whilst the club searches for a permanent successor.
De Zerbi had openly acknowledged his confusion over the team’s inconsistent performances following both the unexpected Champions League elimination and the heavy loss to PSG. The 45-year-old deployed 33 different starting lineups since the start of the season, alternating between three-man and four-man defensive systems in an attempt to establish stability amid frequent player rotation.
Club president, Pablo Longoria, said last month that he envisaged De Zerbi becoming Marseille’s equivalent of Diego Simeone at Atlético Madrid. However, the tactician’s inability to establish consistency has brought the ambitious project to a premature conclusion.
Owner Frank McCourt will determine the club’s coaching arrangements in the coming period. Marseille confirmed the news through an official statement on their website on Wednesday.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
