'I'm ready to leave' – Ex-Premier League manager threatens to quit five months into new job
11/09/2024 08:03 AM
A shock defeat has former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi ready to throw in the towel.
De Zerbi, who is in charge of French side Marseille, was apoplectic after his side slipped to a surprise 3-1 loss to Auxerre at the Stade Velodrome on Friday.
It was a poor performance from De Zerbi’s side as they were down 3-0 at half-time courtesy of goals from Lassine Sinayoko, Gaetan Perrin and Hamed Traore, who is on loan at Auxerre from Bournemouth.
Former Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood scored a penalty in the 65th minute but it proved to be nothing more than a consolation.
Marseille’s loss also continued the club’s worrying run of form at home, having one just once in five league games.
Speaking after the game, De Zerbi made the sensational claim he could walk away just five months into his Marseille tenure.
“I have to take responsibility for this home defeat,” De Zerbi said.
“We have difficulties at home, that’s clear.
“I don’t know if it’s a lack of courage or personality. I came here to play at the Velodrome because I wanted to live the experience.
“If the problem is me, I’m ready to leave. I’m leaving without the money, I don’t care about the rest. I don’t want to make excuses and talk nonsense.
“I’m not going to escape, we have to face reality. That’s what I have to do.”
Should results go against Marseille this weekend, the nine-time Ligue 1 champions could drop from second to fourth.
League leaders Paris Saint-Germain could also pull further away from Marseille and open up a nine-point gap between the two if they beat Angers.
But De Zerbi was in no mood to discuss the ladder and doubled down on his threat to walk away from his role.
“We can’t talk about this second place,” De Zerbi said.
“I have to be able to give, to transmit something. I live for things that transcend football.
“I repeat, if I’m the problem, I have to leave. Money is nothing to me. It’s the gratification of the work that is important. I don’t have bad things to say about my players.
“If I leave, I leave my heart, my soul.”
De Zerbi took the reins at Marseille in June after he departed Premier League side Brighton at the end of the 2023/24 season.
The Italian, who replaced Graham Potter at the Amex Stadium in September 2022, led the Seagulls to an impressive sixth-place finish and a Europa League berth.
Although De Zerbi guided Brighton to the knockout stages of the Europa League, his thinly-veiled swipes at the club’s transfer dealings and willingness to fuel speculation of a move elsewhere ultimately led to a mutual agreement to depart the club in May.
