Marseille have appointed Roberto de Zerbi as the French club’s new manager.

De Zerbi left Brighton at the end of last season after two years in the Premier League.

The Italian has signed a three-year deal and succeeds Jean-Louis Gasset, who retired at the end of the campaign.

“I had a very strong desire to join the club,” De Zerbi said, adding he wanted to “help the club regain the position that Marseille deserves”.

“He shares our vision for the future of the club,” owner Frank McCourt said.

Former Shakhtar Donetsk coach De Zerbi joined the Seagulls in September 2022 on a four-year contract.

He guided the club to sixth in his first season – their highest top-flight finish – and secured European qualification for the first time in their history.

They finished 11th in the league last campaign and reached the last 16 of the Europa League, before it was “mutually agreed” that he would stand down.

Former Montpellier and Bordeaux boss Gasset, 70, succeeded Gennaro Gattuso on an interim basis in February and led the club to an eighth-place finish in Ligue 1, their lowest placing since 2016.