Mehdi Benatia the driving force behind Jean-Louis Gasset’s appointment as interim Marseille boss

According to RMC Sport, Marseille sporting director Mehdi Benatia was the driving force behind Marseille’s decision to appoint Jean-Louis Gasset as interim manager until the end of the season.

Following a tumultuous season at the Stade Vélodrome, OM were looking for someone to bring stability until the end of the season. Firstly, Marcelino was appointed as manager of Les Olympiens but left on his own accord after just 7 matches in charge. Gennaro Gattuso then succeeded him but, statistically, produced one of the worst managerial tenures in Marseille’s history.

After such a large turnover of managers for one season, it is understandable that Marseille would look for a stopgap before appointing their next long-term manager at the start of next season. As a result, OM’s board agreed to look for an interim coach within France. Mehdi Benatia was the man to suggest Jean-Louis Gasset, according to RMC. With the board in agreement and happy with the suggestion, Laurent Blanc’s former deputy was appointed.

Gasset was an opportunist appointment from the perspective of Benatia. The French head coach was abruptly made unemployed by Côte d’Ivoire during the Africa Cup of Nations making him available to assume a new role immediately rather than after AFCON. Although, Gasset wasn’t the only name discussed to succeed Gattuso temporarily.

Former Toulouse manager Phillipe Monatinier was also considered to take over at Marseille temporarily, according to RMC Sport. Nevertheless, the board were not in agreement on the potential appointment of Montanier, he was quickly dismissed as an option.

GFFN | Liam Wraith