Super Eagles midfielder Tochukwu Nnadi and Nigeria-eligible player Ethan Nwaneri  are set to work under a new manager following the departure of head coach Roberto De Zerbi from French Ligue 1 side Marseille.

The club confirmed De Zerbi’s exit on their official website, describing the decision as mutual and reached after discussions involving the owner, president, director of football, and the coach.

While Nwaneri played four matches with De Zerbi in the Marseille dugout following his loan move from Arsenal in the January transfer window,  fellow winter signing Nnadi has yet to make his debut for Les Olympiens.

The Italian manager joined Marseille in the summer of 2024 after leaving Brighton.

De Zerbi leaves Marseille after guiding the team to a second-place finish in Ligue 1 during the 2024/25 season.

Currently, the club sits fourth in the French top flight, 12 points behind leaders Paris St-Germain.

His departure follows a 5-0 loss to PSG and a 3-0 defeat at Club Brugge, which resulted in Marseille’s exit from the Champions League.

Marseille’s statement thanked De Zerbi for his “investment, commitment, professionalism and seriousness,” noting his achievement of finishing second last season.

The club emphasized that the decision to change leadership was taken in the best interests of Marseille to address sporting challenges in the final stretch of the season.

The exits of De Zerbi mean that Nnadi and Nwaneri will now face the remainder of the season under a new coach. 

Wale Adejumo