Roberto De Zerbi leaves Marseille after latest humiliation – and could seal an immediate return to Premier League

Roberto De Zerbi has left his role as Marseille boss with immediate effect, talkSPORT understands.

And this could potentially open up a chance for him to take over at Manchester United or Tottenham with the 46-year-old keen to return to England.

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De Zerbi’s exit follows the French side’s 5-0 thrashing by bitter rivals Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday night.

The result leaves Marseille fourth in Ligue 1 and already 12 points adrift of leaders PSG.

As a result, the Coupe de France remains their only realistic chance of a trophy this season ahead of a quarter-final clash with Toulouse next month.

De Zerbi had been under contract until the end of next season.

But it is understood that he was always going to leave the club in the summer.

And it is believed that his early exit has been driven by De Zerbi himself, with Marseille’s defeat to PSG proving to be too much.

De Zerbi was named Marseille boss in 2024, and guided L’OM to a second-placed finish in his debut season at the Velodrome helm, albeit 19 points behind champions and rivals PSG.

Across 69 matches in charge in all competitions, he oversaw 39 wins but suffered 22 defeats.

Marseille are again off the pace in France’s top-tier and are already out of Europe.

They crashed out of the Champions League in an entertaining final matchday of action last month.

AFP

AFP

Anatoliy Trubin’s dramatic late header in Benfica’s 4-2 win over Real Madrid at the Estadio Da Luz saw the Portuguese side secure the final play-off spot at Marseille’s expense.

Back-to-back 3-0 defeats to Liverpool and Club Brugge ultimately cost Marseille their spot in the play-offs.

De Zerbi back to England?

His availability will likely have alerted United, who have been linked with the Italian as a potential long-term successor for Ruben Amorim.

United sacked Amorim in early January, with Michael Carrick placed in interim charge until the end of the season.

Carrick, who has overseen four consecutive wins and a draw to kick off his second stint in the Old Trafford dugout, may continue as United boss beyond the end of the campaign.

However, United will make a final decision on their next manager in the summer, with De Zerbi expected to be in the running alongside the likes of Mauricio Pochettino, Oliver Glasner, Thomas Tuchel and Gareth Southgate.

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Meanwhile, talkSPORT understands that De Zerbi is also admired by the Tottenham hierarchy.

And Spurs could be an option that soon becomes available with Thomas Frank under intense pressure.

Spurs’ 2-1 defeat on Tuesday night to Newcastle leaves them in 16th spot – just five points above the relegation zone.

While Pochettino is a candidate to return to north London should Frank be dismissed, De Zerbi is an interesting option for the club.

The Italian was wanted by former Spurs chairman Daniel Levy before Frank was appointed.