Marseille were once the strongest team in Ligue 1, winning the league nine times in their history and also boasting the only Champions League in Ligue 1. Although suppressed by Paris Saint-Germain in recent years, Marseille's record is relatively stable and often participates in European competitions.
However, Marseille finished eighth in the league last season, and manager Gattuso was sacked halfway through. De Zerbi, who has made a name for himself with his fluid passing style in Serie A and Brighton in the Premier League, has become the new manager of Marseille.
After De Zerbi arrived, he sent away the veteran Aubameyang, as well as Ndiaye, Guendouzi and others, and bought players such as Greenwood and Koné, but De Zerbi's pace of enriching the team has not stopped. According to the Guardian, De Zerbi has a good match for Arsenal's Nketiah, Smith. Ronaldo, Nelson, Zinchenko and Kiwior are all very interested, but Arteta is unlikely to let them all go.
The basic facts of these 5 players are as follows:
Nketiah, 25, striker, made 37 appearances last season and made 13 starts, scoring six goals and providing three assists, and is worth €30 million.
Nelson, 24, striker, made 23 appearances last season and made five starts, scoring one goal and providing two assists, and is worth 15 million euros.
Smith. Ronaldo, 23, midfielder, made 19 appearances last season, started four times and provided one assist, and is worth 22 million euros.
Zinchenko, 27, defender, made 35 appearances and 24 starts last season, scored one goal and provided two assists, and is worth 38 million euros.
Kiwior, 24, defender, made 18 of 30 appearances last season, scored one goal and provided three assists, and is worth 30 million euros.
Although none of the above five players are regular starters of the Arsenal team, their total value in Germany still reaches 135 million euros, of which Zinchenko, Nketiah and Kiwior are all worth more than 30 million euros. None of these players are for sale in Arteta's plan and they will move away if the price is right in exchange for a transfer fee to support the team's recruitment.
For De Zerbi and Marseille, Arsenal's passing and control style of play and De Zerbi's tactical ideas are in the same vein, in the Premier League, De Zerbi has repeatedly praised Arsenal's overall smooth offensive football, although the above players are not Arsenal's main force, but they are relatively young, and the technology and passing ability are good, there should not be much problem in adapting.
However, despite De Zerbi's interest in these five players, the transfer of five players at one time can be said to be unheard of, and in addition to the Marseille team, these five players are not short of homes in the transfer market.
The transfer of Nketiah has been almost negotiated, and Marseille are very likely to bring in Nketiah on a loan-to-buy basis to replace the departed centre-forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Nelson is a target for Leicester City and West Ham United in the Premier League, with Leicester City in negotiations.
Smith. Ronaldo is Fulham's main target, with the farmer's offer already reaching €40 million, a price that will be difficult for Arsenal to refuse.
Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kiwior, the left-footed defenders, whose chances of playing next season will be further reduced with the arrival of Calafioli and the return of Timber, are also targets of interest from a number of clubs, but neither have made a concrete offer.
Marseille will not have a European mission next season, and they can concentrate on playing well in Ligue 1 on a single line, compared to Ligue 1 hegemon Paris who lost their number one thigh Mbappe this summer, and there has been no obvious move in terms of reinforcements so far. And judging from last season's performance, although Enrique has received strong support from the team in terms of recruitment, he simply does not know how to play without Mbappe.
Therefore, next season is a good opportunity for Marseille, if the reinforcements are effective and the tactical style of play is good, there is a good chance to impact the Ligue 1 title.