On Wednesday, Olympique de Marseille made an official announcement regarding the appointment of Gennaro Gattuso as their new head coach. However, OM explored other, more prestigious options.
Initially, Marseille had set their sights on Christophe Galtier for the position, but he declined the offer. Consequently, the club turned to Italian coach Gennaro Gattuso. However, additional information from the Catalan newspaper Mundo Deportivo on Thursday suggests that Marseille’s president, Pablo Longoria, also explored the possibility of hiring another coach, namely Zinédine Zidane.
According to MD, Longoria approached the former French national team coach, who has been available since his departure from Real Madrid in 2021. Zidane, however, swiftly rejected the opportunity, just as he did for PSG in May 2022 and this year.
MD reports that Zidane wasn’t swayed by Longoria’s project but remains open to the idea of coaching Marseille if the club undergoes significant changes, such as a possible takeover, perhaps by Saudi Arabia. This development has once again fueled speculation about a potential sale of Olympique de Marseille.