Ex-Aston Villa flop Habib Beye agrees to become manager at one of Europe’s biggest clubs
Aston Villa fans may be surprised to learn that former flop Habib Beye is reportedly set to take over as Marseille’s new manager this week.
French journalist Fabrice Hawkins has reported, via X, that Beye and Marseille have reached an agreement for him to become their new boss.
The ex-Aston Villa man could even first take charge of the Olympians in their upcoming Ligue 1 clash against Brest on Friday night if a deal is sorted quickly.
Marseille have been without a manager since former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi left his post in the wake of a 5-0 thrashing by PSG last week.
The French giants sit fourth in Ligue 1 as it stands, and are through to the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France, but they were knocked out of the Champions League last month after finishing 25th in the league stage.
Habib Beye’s career includes ill fated Villa spell despite strong Newcastle stint
Paris-born Beye cut his teeth at PSG, before five years with Strasbourg between 1998 and 2003, and he then spent four years at Marseille, becoming their club captain between 2005 and 2007.
The right-back made 167 appearances for Marseille before a £2million move to Newcastle, where he instantly impressed and won the club’s Player of the Season award in his debut campaign.
They were then relegated in his second season, and he was forced to join Villa for around £2.5m due to financial concerns, where he struggled to find form consistently for the first time in his career.
Beye featured just 11 times in his first season at Villa Park, then only made seven appearances in his second campaign, despite reportedly earning around £40,000 per week.
He was sent out on loan to Doncaster Rovers for the 2011-12 season, with his Villa contract being ripped up a year later.
What is Beye’s managerial record so far ahead of his Marseille appointment?
The former Senegal international initially became a pundit on French TV after he retired from playing in 2012, but was named as assistant manager at Paris-based third-tier club Red Star in May 2021.
He became their interim boss in September of the same year and soon signed a contract to become manager on a permanent basis, going on to lead the club to promotion to Ligue 2 in 2024.
| Club | Games managed | Wins | Draws | Losses | Points-per-game |
| Red Star | 107 | 55 | 23 | 29 | 1.76 |
| Rennes | 39 | 18 | 7 | 14 | 1.56 |
Beye was named as Rennes’ new manager in January 2025, with the club sat 16th and in a relegation battle, and he guided them to safety and a 12th-placed finish last season.
Some strong mid-season form saw Rennes competing for European places, but a run of four straight losses meant Beye lost his job on 9 February.
He is seemingly not set to spend much time out of management, however, with a return to his former club on the cards as he prepares to replace De Zerbi.