Breaking: Marseille Eye Nigeria Coach Chelle After De Zerbi Exit

Olympique Marseille are weighing up Nigeria head coach Éric Sékou Chelle as a possible successor to Roberto De Zerbi, who officially parted ways with the French club on Wednesday after weeks of speculation about his future.

Chelle, 48, has quickly risen in prominence since taking charge of the Super Eagles in January 2025. Despite inheriting a faltering World Cup qualifying campaign, he nearly steered Nigeria to the 2026 finals and later guided them to a third-place finish at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

His side impressed with attacking flair, scoring 14 goals and topping several offensive metrics at the tournament.

French journalist Sebastien Denis of Footmercato reported that Marseille have shortlisted Chelle alongside Habib Beye, who is considered the frontrunner for the role.

The speculation comes just hours after Nigeria Football Federation president Ibrahim Gusau dismissed talk of Chelle leaving the national team.

Gusau stressed that Chelle remains under contract and urged focus on his ongoing project with the Super Eagles.

‘Whatever interest anyone shows in him, he has to wait until his contract expires. We don’t want distractions,’ Gusau said.