- From Zerbi he chose to sign a former prodigy from the center of the Arsenal field instead of Pogba
- Pogba is free to return to competitive action next month after a doping prohibition
- Listen now: Everything is starting! Does Premier League really need to look at goal celebrations?
Roberto de Zerbi has revealed why Marseille left his attempts to sign Paul Pogba in January.
The former Manchester United midfielder is a free agent after leaving Juventus for mutual consent in November.
The Frenchman remains suspended from football for doping violations, but is free to return to competitive action next month after the Arbitration Court for Sports reduced its prohibition from four years to 18 months.
A return to his homeland looked at the cards as the former Brighton Chief of Zerbi expressed his interest in taking Pogba to Marseille, insisting that 'he would try to make space' for the winner of the World Cup.
However, the arrival of a former Arsenal midfielder closed the book on a movement for Pogba, with Marseille instead, went up to Ismael Bennacer from AC Milan.
De Zerbi hastened to speculate that the arrival of Pogba would have brought agitation to the locker room, instead citing different reasons why the club did not send a contract offer.
Paul Pogba has been linked to several clubs before his return to action next year
Pogba is a free agent after leaving the reduction of its suspension
Pogba was in the heart of the triumph of the French World Cup in 2018, but since then has stagnated since then
'No one could change their balance in the costumes: no one will destabilize it while I am the manager. That was not the problem, “De Zerbi said.
'Pogba is a great player, but you must understand where we could use it once it was available to play, in what paper and in what position. The more champions we have, the happier I will be. It wasn't that.
“It was a general evaluation and maybe it will change, but for now, the decision (not signing Pogba in January) was taken for numerous reasons.”
De Zerbi has not hidden his desire to sign 'Champions' for Marseille for Ligue 1 giants, who have not won a league title since the former Captain Didier Deschamps took them to glory in 2010.
Pogba seemed to fit into the bill of that player category, after having raised four titles of Serie A and a Europa League during their time in Juventus and Man United, in addition to starring during the famous victory of the World Cup in the World Cup in the World Cup in France of 2018.
However, the opportunity to sign the former champion of the Nations Cup of Serie A and Africa, Bennacer, 27, was too good to let it pass.
The Algerian, who never recorded a senior appearance in Arsenal, has won the admiration of De Zerbi, who wanted to sign him for Brighton when Moises Caicedo jumped to Chelsea in 2023.
He said: 'He wanted him to come when Moises Caicedo went to Chelsea. It is a great transfer to us. Its characteristics adapt to our game style.
Ismael Bennacer signed for marsella on loan with a £ 10 million option to buy in the summer
Roberto de Zerbi first wanted to sign Bennacer as Brighton's manager after Moisés Caicedo left
'He is a complete player, a superior player and another for us. I really wanted to come to Marseille.
'We already talked about him in August, but we can't finish it. When Medhi Benatia told me that there was the possibility of doing so, we stopped the music.
