Marseille president Pablo Longoria has revealed he had inside information that Roberto de Zerbi was leaving Brighton and Hove Albion. That allowed him to get ahead of any potential competition.
[Le 10 Sport cover comments](https://le10sport.com/football/mercato/grosse-surprise-a-lom-longoria-appelle-un-entraineur-761475) from Longoria today, made in an interview with the YouTube channel Business of Sport.
De Zerbi was appointed as Marseille manager last year, just a month after leaving Brighton in surprise circumstances.
He has been with the Seagulls since 2022 and proven to be very popular with the Seagulls, leading them to Europe of the first time in his first season with an exciting brand of attacking football.
Injuries and a busier schedule in his second season brought that down in his second season, eventually leading to his departure last summer. Marseille then wasted no time in appointing him as their new manager.
They had no hesitation in moving for the Italian despite his struggles at Brighton in his second season. Indeed, they moved to get him ahead of potential competition, with the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Barcelona and Bayern Munich all linked as they were also hunting for a new manager.
Unlike them, though, Longoria had inside information about the impending Brighton exit. And he used that to his advantage.
“This process took a lot of energy, honestly (laughs),” he said.
“How did we get to this point? It was a strange thing. We were looking for a coach after a very difficult season. From February, we knew we had to look for a new coach.
“Several coaches turned us down before the Europa League semi-final, but at the same time, a friend called me. He said, ‘Next week, Roberto De Zerbi might leave Brighton, but don’t tell anyone.'” “Ten seconds later, I was calling Roberto’s agent (laughs).
“We had talked before he left for Brighton; he was an option. I knew Roberto might be interested, because when we played Olympique Marseille-Brighton, he said at the press conference: ‘It’s a stadium I love, a club I really like, etc.’
“I told him: ‘I know it’s complicated, we won’t be playing in European competition next year. I know what you’re doing with Brighton, so let’s talk to the coach, because I want to explain to him the idea we’d like to have.’
“At the same time, my director of football was also talking directly with the coach. But for all of us, it was more of a personal and human relationship than a rational decision.”