Marseille’s Coaching Plot Twist: Is Sergio Conceiçao Really Eyeing the Job?

Coaching rumors swirl around Marseille

The Portuguese coach Sergio Conceiçao, currently steering Al-Ittihad, is at the center of fresh chatter about taking over Marseille in the near term, replacing Italian Roberto De Zerbi.

Marseille announced on Wednesday that De Zerbi would leave the first team by mutual consent after a heavy 5-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the 21st round of Ligue 1.

Some press outlets suggested Conceiçao is among the leading candidates to replace De Zerbi, especially after he reportedly gave a preliminary nod to coaching the French club in the second half of the season.

Saudi journalist Majed Hood of Al-Riyadia denied the reports in a post on X, insisting the news about Conceiçao is not true.

Hood added: “The rumors concerning Conceiçao are not true; he isn’t wavering about coaching Marseille.”

He clarified that Conceiçao is currently focused on training his players for upcoming fixtures; while Marseille reportedly wanted him strongly in June 2024, now it’s more of a respectful admiration than a move in progress.

Hood also noted that while Marseille’s bosses rate him highly and would like him as their coach, Conceiçao remains concentrated on his duties with Al-Ittihad.

The Portuguese manager has led “the Tigers” since October, overseeing 23 matches with 13 wins, 4 draws, and 6 losses so far.

Punchline: If coaching rumors paid rent, Marseille would own a stadium by now. And if rumor mills had match-fixes, we’d all be champions of Fantasy Football’s transfer window.