Marseille sack Gennaro Gattuso after hitting 'rock bottom', appoint Gasset as replacement
Feb 20, 2024
Marseille [France], February 20 : Gennaro Gattuso was sacked after five months in charge by Ligue 1 club Olympique de Marseille on Tuesday.
Former Paris Saint-Germain assistant coach, Jean-Louis Gasset will take Gattuso's place until the end of the current season.
The club released an official statement to announce Gattuso's departure which read, "Marseille announces the end of its collaboration with Gennaro Gattuso. Marseille would like to thank Gennaro and all of his staff for their flawless investment in the team and professionalism they showed on a daily basis, and wish them well for the future."
Gattuo's sacking comes two days after Marseille lost 1-0 to 10-man Brest in the league which provided a major blow to the club's chances of securing a European spot for next season. This defeat extended Marseille's winless run to seven games across all competitions.
After the game, Gattuso didn't hold back and acknowledged that the club had hit "rock bottom" and took responsibility for the club's current form.
"We've hit rock bottom. When you hit rock bottom, you have to take responsibility. It's my responsibility. There is nothing else to say. The table? The truth is that we're going to have to start looking behind us. We can no longer speak about Europe. We just need to take the necessary points to be calm in the standings," Gattuso said as quoted from ESPN.
After the appointment, Gasset talked about the opportunity and set of challenges that lay ahead of the French Giants and said as quoted from the club's official website, "It's a huge honour for me to be joining this legendary club, Olympique de Marseille. I can't wait to start working with this group to prepare for the upcoming fixtures and give the best of ourselves."
Gasset will look to use his coaching experience at Girondins de Bordeaux, AS Saint-Etienne, Montpellier HSC and PSG to turn around Marseille's season.
He has won four French Championships (2009, 2014, 2015, 2016), two French Cups (2015, 2016) and four League Cups (2009, 2014, 2015, 2016).
Marseille will face Shakhtar Donetsk in Europa League on Friday.
