Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi admitted that his desire is to return to coaching in Italy one day, and he certainly hinted that AC Milan are a team he is drawn to given his past.
De Zerbi is among the names that has been repeatedly linked in terms of being a potential successor to Stefano Pioli at Milan when the time comes, having impressed a lot with Brighton.
After guiding them into Europe, the Italian continues to gain praise for the way he has the Seagulls praising, with an intense, high-pressing and vertical style that produces a lot of entertainment.
As MilanNews recalls, De Zerbi did an interview with Sky Sports News yesterday in which some statements certainly alerted Milan fans.
“I love Italy and Italian football. One of the goals I have is to return to coaching in Italy, I don’t know when it will happen,” he said.
The former Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk boss opened up to the hypothesis of a return to Serie A, even if at the moment he seems in pole position to take Xavi’s place at the helm of Barcelona. However, he knows he is in a good place currently.
“I feel good in the Premier League and at Brighton, I can only be grateful to them,” he added.
De Zerbi responded to the idea that Brighton could meet Milan in the Europa League, and he admitted that he still feels very close to the Rossoneri.
“It’s not a normal club for me, I grew up with the Rossoneri. I will be grateful to Milan for my whole life. There are two or three favourites in the Europa League: We’ll see the draw.”
Moreover, De Zerbi was asked about what the future might hold for him when he decides it is the right time to leave Brighton and try a new challenge.
“I know that there are some top clubs that want me, I’m proud of that. But now I’m focused on Brighton, I want to give my best and compete at my best to give satisfaction to this club,” he added.
“Then, there will be no problems working in another great team in my career, to be able to win the Premier League, Serie A or Bundesliga. But there is no specific time to leave.”
According to what is being reported by AS and other sources, De Zerbi actually has a release clause in his contract – something not too common for managers – and it is set at around €10m.
As mentioned, it seems that Milan will face strong competition if they do decide to make a concrete attempt to go for De Zerbi because other clubs might have more spending power. However, sometimes the heart wins above all.
DeZerbi is going to Barca. You heard it here first.
We need to put our cards in the table and get him in. Pioli is rapidly turning into a train wreck, and contemporary would literally be the same thing, just with more overpriced has been players. De Zerbi plays fluid attacking football, CLEARLY what our team is built for, and would get the best out if our squad