Marseille have confirmed the appointment of Pablo Longoria as their new chief football officer.

Longoria replaces fellow Spaniard Andoni Zubizarreta, who left the Ligue 1 club in May amid uncertainty over the future of head coach Andre Villas-Boas.

It has since been confirmed that Villas-Boas will remain at Stade Velodrome and he will be joined by the 33-year-old Longoria.

Marseille revealed the former Valencia sporting director will oversee the "the entire sports sector", from the team to the training centre, be responsible for transfers, and "will accelerate the development of the use of data in sports decision-making".

Longoria, who starts work on August 3, said: "Football is inconceivable without passion. My last choices were based on passion and the history of the clubs I worked for.

"I am proud to have this great opportunity to put my skills at the service of one of the most historic clubs in Europe and in French football.

"I want to bring as much as possible to this great club and look forward to living the passion of the fans, the stadium and the city."

Juventus are also among Longoria's previous employers and owner Frank McCourt believes he can take help take Marseille to another level.

He said: "Over the last four years, and after a huge enhancement of the club's resources, we have completed phase one of our project as demonstrated by our qualifying for Champions League play.

"Now we begin phase two of our journey together. With Jacque-Henri's [Marseille president Eyraud] continued leadership, the additions of Pablo and Hugues [head of business Ouvrard], and Andre's commitment; the pieces are in place for us to start climbing the next mountain together."