Exclusive: Impressive Italian could move back home having been linked with Inter Milan
Brighton’s players fear that Roberto De Zerbi will not stay at the club beyond this season, amid serious interest from Italy in the 43-year-old.
De Zerbi has been consistently linked with Inter Milan in recent months and Telegraph Sport understands there is genuine concern within the Brighton squad that the coach will return to his native country at the end of this campaign.
De Zerbi, who replaced Graham Potter in September, has had an enormous impact on the south coast and is revered by many of his players for the progressive style of football he has imposed at the Amex Stadium.
Brighton is pushing to qualify for European football for the first time in their history and meet Manchester United on Thursday knowing that a victory would take them above sixth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
They may have to take on United without De Zerbi on the touchline, though, as the Italian has picked up an illness that forced him to cancel his usual pre-match press conference on Wednesday.
It is understood that De Zerbi is keen to play a more active role in the club’s data-driven recruitment strategy and has had his own ideas on which players Brighton should look to sign.
Brighton is expected to sell key players Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo this summer, with some of the Premier League’s biggest clubs showing strong interest in the midfielders. Between them, the two players are likely to generate more than £100 million in transfer fees.
Mac Allister and Caicedo are both of interest to Liverpool and Manchester United, while Arsenal remains keen on Caicedo after failing in their attempts to sign him in January. Chelsea have also shown interest in both players in recent months.
In terms of incomings, Brighton has already agreed on a club-record deal of £30 million to sign Brazilian forward Joao Pedro from Watford at the end of this season.
De Zerbi said earlier this year that he was adjusting to Brighton’s data-driven approach to recruitment but made it clear that he also wants his own say in those decisions.
“I’m getting used to working with algorithms in another way in the transfer market, and I’m getting used to appreciating this way,” he said. “I didn’t know it before. I spent a lot of time studying new players on video but now I understand there is another way to find players.”
He added: “I believe in myself and I want to watch the player. I want to understand that the player has the right quality, the right characteristics to play for us.”
Since De Zerbi’s appointment, only three teams (Arsenal, Manchester City, and Newcastle United) have scored more goals in the Premier League than Brighton, and only City have averaged more possession in matches.
Brighton won 6-0 against Wolves last weekend, with a performance so impressive that De Zerbi later described it as the best of his entire coaching career.
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