“I have been coaching for 10 years and this is the team where the players are most similar to me in terms of pride- Brighton Boss Roberto De Zerbi makes feelings clear on future amid Manchester United Job and Erig Ten Hag Sacking.
Roberto De Zerbi returned home and expressed his love for Brighton, telling Serie A clubs that he is not ready to return for a top Italian post.
The former Sassuolo manager is one of Europe’s hottest coaches after leading Albion to a thrilling Europa League last-16 match against Roma. Liverpool, Manchester United, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich, as well as Italian powerhouses Milan, Juventus, and Napoli, could all hunt for new managers this summer.
De Zerbi, 44, last managed a match in Italy in October 2021, when Shakhtar Donetsk faced Inter Milan in the Champions League. When asked if he will return to coach in Italy, De Zerbi said: “It’s not true that I don’t think about it.
“Usually, I do what makes me happy, and right now, it is being where I am. I feel fortunate to be competing with this team at this level. It makes me happy when I win, but even losing is great.
One day, I shall return to Italy. I am not sure when that day will come. But when I decided to move to Shakhtar two or three years ago, it was because I wanted to pursue a career outside of Italy. Without going into too much detail, there were a few things about Italy that I disliked. I chose to do something different.”
De Zerbi led Brighton to sixth place last season and into Europe for the first time in club history, as well as a sold-out Stadio Olimpico.
“I am very proud to be back here with my team,” he told reporters. “I often fall in love with my teams and players. It happened in Foggia, Benevento, Sassuolo, and even Shakhtar. But this is a squad I adore; they can lose 3-0 and always recover with pride and hunger.
“I’ve been coaching for ten years, and the players on this team are the most like me in terms of pride, hunger, dignity, and motivation. The young and senior players have comparable footballing perspectives as mine. I trust them. We are here not simply to reach the final eight, but also to write history.”
Roma’s head coach, Daniele De Rossi, who succeeded Jose Mourinho in January, has described his Italian friend as a “genius.” answered that “I don’t see myself as a genius or better than others but I am not scared to work hard and don’t lack courage.”
Brighton has struggled in the Premier League this year, but they have won their previous four European games without conceding and are yet to lose an away match.
Pascal Gross responded by saying: “Rome is a beautiful city – I was here last year – and the movie Gladiator is one of my favourite films but I’m here for different reasons and it’s even nicer.”
