Finally, Gennaro Gattuso will arrive in France. Not in Lyon, where his name was mentioned insistently before the appointment of his compatriot Fabio Grosso, but in Marseille. As revealed by the Foot Mercato site, the 45-year-old Italian technician, free since his ouster from Valencia last January, is very close to being appointed head of OM to replace Marcelino, who resigned, and the interim coach Jacques Abardonado, on the Marseille bench against Ajax (3-3) and against PSG (0-4 defeat). “The Italian coach is in pole position to replace Marcelino,” we assure, specifying that the former midfielder is “one step” away from the Commanderie. Various sources confirm and indicate that the person concerned is expected in the coming hours in Provence.
In recent hours, several other options had been mentioned, such as the possible returns of Jorge Sampaoli and Igor Tudor. False leads according to L’Équipe, which in recent hours still cited the names of the Spaniards Julen Lopetegui and Javi Garcia or the Austrian Oliver Glasner, all free. And of course, there was talk of Christophe Galtier, ousted by PSG last summer but whose profile has many advantages: experienced (2 French championship titles) and connoisseur of the boiling Marseille context for being born in Marseille and trained at OM, where he was a player and assistant coach. In addition to his year in Paris (2022-23), the former coach of Saint-Etienne, Lille and Nice will however go on trial in mid-December for “moral harassment and discrimination based on membership or non-membership , true or supposed, to an ethnic group, a nation, a so-called race or a specific religion. Alleged facts dating from his year at the Gym.
Also read “If I tell you 20% of what I know, some will sleep in prison…”: behind the scenes of an explosive week at OM
A rough defensive midfielder with a (very) strong character, Gattuso spent most of his playing career in the colors of AC Milan (1999-2012), winning, among others, two League titles champions (2003 and 2007). An Italian international on 73 occasions, he was part of the epic journey to the world title in 2006. The native of Corigliano Calabro finished his playing career and began his coaching career in Sion, Switzerland, before taking the reins of Palermo, OFI Crete and Pisa, then return home. After a stint at the head of the U19s, he took on the role of head coach of AC Milan in 2017. Two-year mandate. Gattuso then led Naples (2019-21), with an Italian Cup in 2020, his only trophy as coach, then Valencia, for six months.
One thing is certain: the context is explosive in Marseille after a week marked by the departure of Marcelino, the bickering between certain supporters and the management, the real-false departure of Pablo Longoria and the debacle on the field of Paris’s best enemy. Returned to the Europa League after their exit against Panathinaikos in the third preliminary round of the Champions League, OM only occupy a modest eighth place in the Ligue 1 standings (2 wins, 3 draws, 1 defeat). “We lacked character,” said all the Marseillais who took the trouble to respond to journalists on Sunday, at the Parc des Princes. Character is not what is lacking in Gennaro Gattuso, who could lead his first match on Saturday evening (9 p.m.) in Monaco.
