Murillo reveals De Zerbi forced him out of OM during winter transfer window

Amir Murillo lifted the lid on the behind-the-scenes circumstances of his rushed departure from Olympique de Marseille during last season’s winter transfer window. Questioned at a press conference on the eve of the Europa League match between Besiktas and OM, the Panamanian full-back directly blamed Roberto De Zerbi.

“I think everyone saw there was a problem with the manager,” Murillo said. “It had nothing to do with the team or the club. It was something personal with the manager. In a way, I felt he disrespected me. After that, I was practically forced to leave the club.”

This urgent departure to Istanbul deprived OM of a regular starter for the second half of the season, an absence that weighed on the club’s results in the final months.

The Murillo episode is not isolated. It fits into a mixed record of De Zerbi’s spell at Marseille, where the Italian coach, known for his volatile temperament, left several delicate matters in his wake. The previous season, Canadian midfielder Ismaël Koné had also been sidelined in similar circumstances, loaned to Rennes before establishing himself at Sassuolo.

Earlier, it was the clash between Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe during a trip to Rennes that had captured attention. President Pablo Longoria had then described an explanation “of unprecedented violence.” The two players eventually left the club after several days of hesitation. De Zerbi, described as more involved in these decisions than he appeared publicly, had then benefited from his management’s protection in the media.

In total, Roberto De Zerbi lasted only eighteen months of the three years initially planned at Marseille. A mixed sporting record, compounded by repeated human tensions whose consequences OM continues to measure.