Brighton CEO on Roberto De Zerbi’s future amid Barcelona links: “We don’t want to lose him”
Barcelona’s search for a new manager continues and the rumor mill cannot stop coming up with new names for the position, but one coach has been consistently linked with the job: Roberto De Zerbi.
The young Italian coach is one of the most promising managers in Europe and has done a very good job at Sassuolo as well as Brighton and Hove Albion, and he’s been linked not only with Barcelona but also with Liverpool and Bayern Munich who are also on the hunt for a new boss this summer.
De Zerbi was recommended to Barça president Joan Laporta by Barça legend Pep Guardiola, and he does appear to be a strong candidate to take over once Xavi Hernández leaves the job at the end of the season.
But Brighton CEO Paul Barber wants to keep De Zerbi, but he does understand that a manager of Roberto’s quality is very attractive to bigger clubs, and will accept De Zerbi’s decision to leave if a good offer comes.
“We don’t want to lose him, he is an outstanding coach, probably one of the best in the world already, and that is going to make him attractive.
“I think Roberto loves Brighton, he loves the club, the people, the infrastructure that we have, and there is this sense that the work he is doing is good for him as well as for us.
“That still means at some point in the future he may choose to take that skill base that he has elsewhere — we understand that.”
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That does offer at least some hope that Barça could get their man if De Zerbi is indeed their choice, but we still don’t know what the Blaugrana’s favorite name is. The plot thickens…
