Guillem Balague has given an insight into how many top managers are in awe of Tottenham Hotspur target Roberto De Zerbi.
The Spanish football expert, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Euro Leagues, said Spurs have approached the Brighton boss.
Balague also predicted that De Zerbi “will have bigger approaches” as he reeled off a list of coaches who admire his work.
‘They don’t give rivals a chance
Speculation linking Tottenham and De Zerbi has been doing the rounds since Antonio Conte’s Spurs job was in doubt.
The Brighton boss has worked wonders at the Premier League club following Graham Potter’s move to Chelsea.
De Zerbi’s efforts have helped his club remain in contention for European qualification with six games to go for them.
“In the last two weeks, I’ll give you the names of managers that privately had shown how much in awe they are of Roberto De Zerbi and what he is doing at Brighton,” Balague said, via the BBC Sport website.
“They love the fact that they chase every ball, they don’t give rivals a chance, they are full of confidence, they don’t have any panic in the way they play, they are very strong in positions, they have midfielders that want the ball even if they have no space.
“Those are Ruben Amorim, Unai Emery, who I spent half an hour listening to him at the Leicester game talking about De Zerbi, Pep [Guardiola], [Mauricio] Pochettino, Xavi, and Mikel Arteta.
“They really, really like what he is doing and it’s interesting that it seems his next step is to actually stay at Brighton for one more year to keep learning the league he is in.
“But obviously he has been approached by Spurs and he will have bigger approaches by the sound of it.”
Our view
De Zerbi looks like one of the best up-and-coming managers in world football, and it’ll be interesting to see how he fares in the coming years.
Admittedly, he never really seemed to feature particularly highly on Tottenham’s wishlist.
Besides, De Zerbi really doesn’t seem to be in any rush to leave the Seagulls.
And why would he? They’re still very much in the hunt for a European finish this season.
He has continued his predecessor’s good work and looks set for a record-high Premier League finish with his club.
And the fact that some of the greatest managers have been raving about De Zerbi of late says a lot.
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