Roberto De Zerbi insisted he wants to stay at Marseille for up to six more years as he refuted suggestions he had tendered his resignation to the French club.
De Zerbi has endured an eventful start to 2026, being linked with the Manchester United job following Ruben Amorim's dismissal and later claiming he was criticised more than other Ligue 1 coaches due to his Italian nationality.
And after Marseille were eliminated from the Champions League in astonishing fashion on Wednesday, finishing outside the play-off places on goal difference due to Benfica's goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scoring a 98th-minute goal against Real Madrid, things took a further turn.
Marseille would have qualified regardless of that result, had they not plummeted to a dire 3-0 defeat at Club Brugge.
And reports then suggested De Zerbi had offered his resignation to Marseille's hierarchy, but ahead of Saturday's trip to Paris FC, the former Brighton boss said those rumours were untrue.
"Marseille is the ideal place for me, without knowing if I’m the ideal coach for Marseille," De Zerbi said on Friday, as quoted by L'Equipe.
"I have the strength to stay in Marseille for five or six years because I love it, it's my passion.
"What upsets me is the lack of consistency, the feeling of powerlessness. These are defeats that leave their mark, but we have the strength to bounce back, as we always have."
Defeat tonight.#CLUOM | – | pic.twitter.com/XcZ7Lu26JB
— Olympique de Marseille (@OM_English) January 28, 2026
Marseille are third in Ligue 1 with 38 points from 19 games, eight adrift of leaders Lens – who have played an additional game – and seven behind Paris Saint-Germain.
