French giants Marseille are set to appoint Italian manager Gennaro Gattuso as their new head coach.
The 45-year-old had held talks with Marseille’s Ligue 1 rivals Lyon over their vacancy earlier this month but lost out on coaching the club to his Italian compatriot and 2006 World Cup-winning teammate Fabio Grosso.
Gennaro Gattuso set to appointed Marseille boss
The fiery Italian is expected to arrive in Marseille today with his backroom staff after accepting the club’s proposal and will put pen to paper over a brand-new deal- likely to be two years.
According to Foot Mercato reporter Sebastien Denis, Christophe Galtier was President Pablo Longoria’s first choice to take over from the departing Marcelino– who resigned last week.
Christophe Galtier était vraiment la priorité de l’OM. Mais ses problèmes extra-sportifs, son passé récent au PSG, les avis mitigés des supporters à son égard et surtout l’urgence de mettre un vrai coach sur le banc pour les prochaines échéances ont fait pencher la balance en… https://t.co/dl2qmJfyH9
— Sébastien Denis (@sebnonda) September 27, 2023
However, Galtier’s off-field issues, which include currently being under investigation for accusations of discrimination whilst Nice manager, married to his recent role as manager of Paris Saint-Germain- Marseille’s greatest rivals- and the mixed opinions of the club’s supporters towards him mean he was not a viable long-term option.
An announcement of Gattuso’s appointment is expected to be made imminently with the Italian already preparing to take his first training session with the first team before OM’s match at Monaco in a French Riviera derby on Saturday night.
