Brighton has embarked on a Premier League journey across the 2022-23 domestic season that has not disappointed a single soul in the Seagulls fanbase in the wake of Graham Potter’s departure to greener pastures with Chelsea.
Replaced by young yet experienced tactician Roberto De Zerbi, the Italian has been able to draw on his previous stints with Shakhtar Donetsk, Sassuolo, Benevento, and Palermo in order to hit the ground running in the top flight of English football in a manner that few would have ever anticipated.
At the time of writing, the south coast club sits seventh in the table, level on points with Liverpool in 6th and just five points off Newcastle United in 5th, with a match in hand on the pair. There is a real chance that Brighton could enjoy European nights next season if their form under the 43-year-old Brescia-born manager stands the test of time. But with that success may come an untimely, and unfortunate, parting of ways.
RDZ has supercharged Brighton.
— Josh Dawes – Brighton supporter and podcaster
Reports from football insider Fabrizio Romano detail a possible harsh reality for the English club regarding De Zerbi’s contract. While it includes a reported €13m buyout clause (which our own Jamie Brown reported on last month) which would allow Brighton to be financially compensated if the manager was headhunted, said clause can only be activated in the summer. And the timing could not be worse.
Understand there’s a fixed amount into Roberto De Zerbi’s contract to leave Brighton, similar to Potter 🔵🇮🇹 #BHAFC
There’s one crucial difference: it’s only valid in the summer, not during the season.
De Zerbi, only focused on Brighton to complete the season in the best way. pic.twitter.com/WDpdhyYjkC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 28, 2023
Despite De Zerbi remaining focused on the rest of the season, growing interest from clubs both in England and in his native Italy continues on the back of his immediate impact at the American Express Community Stadium, with Tottenham Hotspur FC and Inter Milan possibly ready to dip their toes in the shallow end.
With Antonio Conte officially out at Spurs, chairman Daniel Levy is expected to view De Zerbi as a potential replacement for his compatriot, but unfortunately for Brighton, it would continue the trend of the club being unable to keep hold of its best talent on and off the pitch as bigger clubs continue to prize them away from the Channel coast.
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