Tottenham Hotspur like Roberto de Zerbi and the Italian has admirers down the road too with Mikel Arteta hailing the Brighton manager ahead of this weekend’s Premier League clash with Arsenal.
That 5-1 hammering by a Dwight McNeil-inspired Everton aside, Roberto De Zerbi has barely put a foot wrong since replacing Graham Potter at The Amex.
Instead of tearing up the foundations his predecessor laid down, the former Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk boss has build upon them, applying a fresh lick of paint to the house that Potter built.
Champions League qualification may appear unlikely. But Brighton and Hove Albion should still be bringing their unique brand of free-flowing football onto the European stage next term.
And Arteta will be under no illusions about the size of the challenge facing his title-chasing side ahead of Sunday’s clash between the Gunners and the Seagulls at the Emirates Stadium.
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“They are a really complicated side,” Arteta tells Football London of a side who put three past Liverpool, four past West Ham and six past Wolves. “The way they are playing and what Roberto and the coaching staff has done is remarkable.”
According to the Daily Mail, De Zerbi is on Daniel Levy’s radar. Albeit not one of Tottenham’s leading candidates as things stand. That may have something to do with the fact that his current contract at Brighton runs until 2026. While a very public spat with former Spurs coach Cristian Stellini at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium didn’t exactly do wonders for his image.
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But with Xabi Alonso staying at Bayer Leverkusen, with Julian Nagelsmann seemingly having doubts, and with Arne Slot taking Feyenoord into the Champions League, De Zerbi could soon be back on his way up Spurs’ pecking order as their pursuit of an Antonio Conte replacement drags on with no end in sight.
“(De Zerbi is a) world class manager,” Brighton veteran Adam Lallana tells talkSPORT.
“It was never going to be easy for him to come in when we were doing so well under Graham. So the way he has changed (things) and put his own stamp in midway through a season…
“He has got his methods across quickly,” Lallana adds. “It is so evident. You can really see a specific style of football. I suppose that just makes it a little bit more appetising to come and watch.
“I am so lucky at this stage in my career that I have crossed paths with Roberto.”
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