Marseille chief Benatia: Why we wanted De Zerbi

The Ligue 1 club's new Sporting Director explains why the Italian was their No. 1 managerial target

Marseille Sporting Director, Djamel Benatia, has revealed the reasons why the Ligue 1 club targeted Roberto De Zerbi ahead of their managerial shortlist.

De Zerbi was announced as Igor Tudor's successor on Tuesday, with the former Sassuolo and Brighton boss signing a three-year deal at the Stade Velodrome.

The Italian was linked with a number of top jobs across Europe, but Benatia revealed that Marseille were always his first choice.

“We spoke to a number of managers, but Roberto was always our first choice,” Benatia said.

“He’s a young, exciting manager with a proven track record of developing young players and playing attacking football.

“We believe he is the right man to take Marseille to the next level.”

Benatia also praised De Zerbi's man-management skills and his ability to get the best out of his players.

"He’s a very good man-manager and he knows how to get the best out of his players,” Benatia said.

“He’s also a very good tactician and he knows how to set up a team to play attractive football.

“We’re confident that he can help us achieve our goals.”

De Zerbi will be tasked with leading Marseille back to the Champions League next season.

The club finished second in Ligue 1 last season, but they were knocked out of the Champions League in the group stages.

Benatia believes that De Zerbi has the quality to guide Marseille to success in Europe.

“We believe that Roberto is the right man to lead us back to the Champions League,” Benatia said.

“He’s a winner and he knows how to get the best out of his players.

“We’re confident that he can help us achieve our goals.”