Brighton & Hove Albion are keeping calm amid growing interest in head coach Roberto De Zerbi.
The 44-year-old’s work at the AMEX Stadium over the past 12 months has received widespread acclaim, with the Italian building on the foundations laid by previous incumbent Graham Potter to guide the Seagulls to a record sixth-place Premier League finish last season.
De Zerbi’s side are competing in European competition for the first time as a result – an achievement the former Shakhtar Donetsk boss called “more prestigious than winning the title”.
Brighton have continued the momentum in the early weeks of the 2023/24 season, with defeat to West Ham United the only blemish from the club’s first six Premier League outings.
While they also generated extraordinary profit in the summer transfer window after selling Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo, to Liverpool and Chelsea respectively, for the best part of £150m.
The continued development of players under De Zerbi’s management is a standout feature of his time on the south coast, with Brighton’s eye-catching possession-based style of play, coupled with a well-organised high intensity press, also garnering significant praise.
De Zerbi’s progress has not gone unnoticed at some of Europe’s biggest clubs. Real Madrid and Napoli are among those taking a keen interest as they do their respective due diligence on future managerial appointments.
