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News
- 27 minutes ago
Marseille in crisis: De Zerbi quit threat, ‘unprofessional’ Greenwood under fire
Robin Bairner
- 30 Jan 2026 13:16 GMT
- 5 min read
Analysis
Marseille have been sent into crisis due to their early Champions League exit, with the future of head coach Roberto De Zerbi under question as Mason Greenwood faces criticism from the hierarchy of the Stade Velodrome side.
Wednesday’s 3-0 loss to Club Brugge in the Champions League sent Marseille to an early exit in the competition and promises to have far-reaching repercussions for the Provence side.
Already the shockwaves are being felt. De Zerbi’s longevity at the club, which has rarely appeared particularly secure, is once again in dispute while the board is in open warfare with star man Greenwood.
Current ETV
Mason Greenwood
F, M (R), AM (L)
Marseille
Mason Greenwood
F, M (R), AM (L)
Marseille
ETV Range
€41.3M - €50.4M
De Zerbi denies quit threat
De Zerbi’s tenure as Marseille coach has long been a tense one. Just four months after he was appointed as OM boss in November 2024, he threatened to quit.
“If I'm the problem, I'm ready to leave. I'll leave the money and hand back my contract,” he said after a 3-1 home loss against Auxerre.
There have been several other instances since in which his tenure has been threatened to be cut unexpectedly short, so the claims that emanated following the Club Brugge loss – perhaps the most painful of De Zerbi’s stay in France – were not entirely unexpected.
On Thursday evening, news broke via FootMercato that De Zerbi had handed in his resignation to the board. This arrived after the Italian had missed training, apparently due to an illness.
The coach “immediately and categorically” denied these claims when contacted by L’Equipe.
“When he’s angry, he sulks,” a source close to Marseille told the Paris-based newspaper.
Similarly, OM seem unlikely to sack their coach, who has been mentioned as a possible Manchester United manager of the near future.
“I would be delighted if Roberto stayed for a long time. I would like him to be like Diego Simeone at Atletico de Madrid,” president Pablo Longaria told The Telegraph.
The coach's draw is irrefutable. Arsenal, after all, sent Ethan Nwaneri on loan to the Velodrome precisely to work under De Zerbi. They will be eager he remains until at least the summer.
Open warfare with Greenwood
Marseille’s problems extend into the playing staff, though, and in particular Greenwood, whose relationship with those elsewhere in the squad appears to be particularly fraught.
“It was a shit evening, a professional failure,” sporting director Medhi Benatia told the media after the Brugge loss. “You can’t lose like we lost tonight.
“We’ve seen that when we’re not at 100%, we often get knocked out. Even if we have good players, great players, you have to respect football.”
Benatia, whose relationship with several members of the squad, including captain Leonardo Balerdi, is reportedly strained, pointing the finger at Greenwood and other star players in particular.
“I expect the guys who are a bit more experienced to realise that we have a season to finish,” he said. “I hope they ask themselves the right questions.”
L’Equipe reports that the pair ignore each other, with the sporting director critical of what he believes to be an unprofessional attitude shown by Greenwood. He was left particularly frustrated when the former Manchester United player skipped a commercial obligation last summer, the paper claims.
What now for Marseille?
Marseille have missed out on a Champions League payday that would have totalled around €9m had they qualified, and the repercussions are set to be felt immediately.
Angel Gomes’ departure after an unsuccessful summer signing is set to be accelerated, while additional signings will be postponed. It also means that loan deals that might have been made permanent – Arthur Vermeeren from RB Leipzig, for instance – are unlikely to be triggered.
These are relatively small consequences compared to the big picture, upon which so much rests on the shoulders of De Zerbi at Marseille. The situation is tense but is not yet terminal.
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