MARSEILLE: Marseille announced on Tuesday the departure of Italian coach Gennaro Gattuso after a six-match winless run in Ligue 1, ending the former World Cup winner’s five-month spell at the club.

“Olympique Marseille announces the end of its collaboration with Gennaro Gattuso,” the club wrote in a brief statement, thanking both him and his coaching staff.

He is expected to be replaced by Jean-Louis Gasset, the Frenchman who was sacked as Ivory Coast coach during this year’s Africa Cup of Nations.

‘No solutions’ for Marseille as Gattuso poised for exit

Gattuso’s exit came after he admitted to club officials on Monday that he “no longer had any solutions” for reviving Marseille’s fortunes, a source close to the negotiations told AFP.

The 46-year-old former midfielder said Marseille had “hit rock bottom” after Sunday’s 1-0 loss at Brest left the team ninth in the French top flight.

Gattuso arrived at Marseille at the end of September to replace Marcelino Garcia Toral who quit after just seven competitive games in charge.

However, he failed to turn around the fortunes of a team that has failed to win a league game in 2024 and is a long way from qualifying for European competition next season.

Apart from a narrow 1-0 win over fifth-tier Thionville in the French Cup, Marseille have not won since hosting Clermont on December 17. They were subsequently knocked out of the cup by Rennes.

Their one bright spot has been a 2-2 draw away to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Europa League play-offs with the return leg at the Velodrome on Thursday.