Roberto de Zerbi has been linked with taking over from Antonio Conte at Tottenham Hotspur but Simon Jordan is urging the Brighton and Hove Albion boss to stay focused on the Premier League high-flyers.
If Daniel Levy viewed Saturday’s clash between Spurs and the Seagulls as something of an audition for a man reportedly high on his managerial wishlist, it’s safe to say De Zerbi probably passed it.
Yes, there was that rather unseemly row with Cristian Stellini on the touchline. One which saw the always combustible De Zerbi cop a red card before watching the remainder of that 2-2 draw from the stands. But, on the pitch, his Brighton side were everything Tottenham want to be; dynamic, effective, combative and classy.
Only a couple of VAR blunders and a deflected Harry Kane strike denied the visitors a deserved win in the capital.
The ‘world-class- De Zerbi picked up the Brighton baton from Graham Potter and continues to run with it; his Champions League-chasing overachievers among the most free-flowing, aesthetically-pleasing sides anywhere in European football.
Brighton’s Roberto de Zerbi an option for Tottenham
One-time Crystal Palace owner Jordan, however, believes now is not the time for De Zerbi to consider his future again, just six months after signing a four-year deal at the Amex.
“De Zerbi, I would hope to think he will stay at Brighton and respect the loyalty. He’s doing a good job. (But) he was given a great platform to leap off by the way,” Jordan tells talkSPORT (10 April, 11am).
“Very rarely do you get to come into a job where there aren’t too many problems. Everything was quite rosy in Brighton’s garden, and he’s made them better. (But) it’s quite easy to make them better.
“(Donald) Trump has made loads of money but his dad left him loads of money in the first place!
“It would be a massive step up to Tottenham, in terms of the size and scale of the two clubs. I would like to think De Zerbi would be continuing to develop at Brighton. Tottenham is not one of the things he should be looking at.”
‘Not a problem’
The former Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk boss – who earned himself the admiration of Pep Guardiola during his time in Serie A – has a release clause in his Brighton contract, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Jordan, meanwhile, believes Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will not necessarily be put off by De Zerbi’s, erm, passionate approach. Even after working alongside two similarly high-maintenance coaches in Conte and Jose Mourinho.
“I don’t think an emotive outlook is a problem for owners,” Jordan adds.
“If that manager then takes that temperament into his managing up, that’s when owners like Daniel Levy will go; ‘well, I can’t work with that fella!’
“He won’t go ‘I can’t work with that fella’ because he delivers histrionics in the dugout. He’ll look at him and if it’s a week-on-week thing, he’ll say the fella will have to control himself.”
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