Ex-Rangers star Gennaro Gattuso has taken charge of historic Champions League foes Marseille after a fan mutiny forced their last coach out the door.
The fiery Italian World Cup winner, 45, takes charge of a Ligue 1 side for the first time and faces an uphill challenge to restore the French giants to their former glories.
Having won two of their opening six Ligue 1 games and having crashed out of the Champions League qualifiers, Brazilian coach Marcelino tendered his resignation amid fan protests.
The French side have also had an expensive summer of recruitment with the club splashing the guts of €70m (£60m) on several high profile players.
Amongst them includes the likes of Iliman Ndiaye, Ismaila Sarr, Renan Lodi, Ruslan Malinovskyi, Geoffrey Kondogbia and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Gennaro Gattuso “very happy” to take Marseille gig
Having last been sacked by La Liga side Valencia seven months ago, Gennaro Gattuso continues to get top jobs with the Marseille gig something of a poisoned chalice as of late.
Nonetheless, the Italian claims he’s “proud” to take part of the historic French side.
“I am very happy and proud to join Olympique de Marseille,” said Gennaro Gattuso.
“It’s a club and a stadium, the Orange Vélodrome, where I had the opportunity to play as a player, celebrated throughout Europe for the passion and fervor it exudes.
“I’m looking forward to getting to work with my new team and taking on the upcoming challenges that await us.”
The ex-AC Milan and Napoli manager is clearly relishing the opportunity to take charge of a club who controversially reached the Champions League Final in 1993 at the expense of Rangers.
In the inaugural rebranding of the European Cup, Marseille had their Ligue 1 title stripped due to match-fixing although nothing has ever been proved on the continent.
A suspicious 6-0 hammering of CSKA Moscow leaves Rangers fans rankled and it’s a club which the Ibrox support have always wanted to hand out some comeuppance towards on the continental stage.
Marseille would finish a point above Rangers in the group and progress to the Final to defeat AC Milan in Munich, with eventual Ibrox star Basile Boli scoring the only goal of the game.
