A manager who was sacked at the recent 2023 Africa Cup of Nations has now officially been confirmed as the new boss of a top European club.
Jean-Louis Gasset has been appointed as the new interim coach of Olympique Marseille for the remainder of the season.
Read: Player axed by club after 'lying about age' on dating app
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— Olympique de Marseille ???? ???? (@OM_English) February 20, 2024
An official statement on the French club's website reads: "An experienced coach with both club and country, Jean-Louis Gasset has spent over 30 years on the bench in the French league and abroad.
"His experience as assistant or head coach at Girondins de Bordeaux, AS Saint-Etienne, Montpellier HSC and PSG has made him one of France's most experienced coaches, and has seen him win 4 French Championships (2009, 2014, 2015, 2016), 2 French Cups (2015, 2016) and 4 League Cups (2009, 2014, 2015, 2016).
"Renowned for his tactical expertise, his ability to interact with players, his ability to mobilise the different groups he has coached and his hard-working culture, the Montpellier native has also had the opportunity to put his skills to good use at international level with the Cote d'Ivoire national team, Equipe de France and Espanyol."
Gasset also confirmed his delight at his new role, stating: "It's a huge honour for me to be joining this legendary club, Olympique de Marseille. I can't wait to start working with this group to prepare for the upcoming fixtures and give the best of ourselves."
The announcement comes less than a month after the veteran tactician was given his marching orders by Ivory Coast following a disappointing showing in the AFCON 2023 group stage, which saw the tournament hosts narrowly escape an early elimination.
Marseille's decision comes after they fired Italian coach Gennaro Gattuso, who had been in the role since September 2023, earlier on Tuesday afternoon.
Gasset brings a wealth of experience to the role, having previously coached in 162 matches in Ligue 1 for clubs including Saint-Etienne, Montpellier, and Bordeaux.
The 71-year-old inherits a side languishing in ninth place on the French top-flight table, eight points adrift of European football qualification.
According to reports in France, Gasset is expected to be in charge for Marseille's UEFA Europa League tie against Shakhtar Donetsk on Thursday.
Read: Four things we learned from AFCON 2023
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