On September 18th, Brighton & Hove Albion appointed Roberto De Zerbi as their new manager after Graham Potter left The Amex for Chelsea.
De Zerbi’s first league win with the Seagulls came against Chelsea in October and he also went on to beat Arsenal in the EFL Cup.
Sportitalia have had a detailed chat with the Brighton manager and his comments are relayed by Alfredo Pedullà. The Italian said the Premier League has been tiring so far and he’s provided an explanation.
“It was tiring. For the language, for the renewed staff, tiring because I entered a team in fourth place with a coach who had decided to leave. Tiring also because we had to prepare for the away match against Liverpool,” he said.
“The Premier League is a different league, it’s tiring. The workouts are shorter, more intense, you only have one day off a week. It’s tiring, but I took it with enthusiasm. They welcomed me very well, especially the fans who welcomed me with a warmth that maybe I don’t even deserve. But I took it with enthusiasm and I’m enjoying it.”
The English club handed a four-year deal to De Zerbi. On this subject, he said: “Four-year contract? The club wanted it so long. I love doing year by year because if you want you can keep me. With me, durations count, and they don’t count, if we don’t get along, we can’t go on.”
De Zerbi further stressed he didn’t want to make a quick change in the way the Premier League side played this season.
“At Brighton, they played like this, it didn’t seem like the right time to change right away. I also adopted it at Sassuolo. While I use the inverted midfielders because they find themselves with a wider space when they get possession of the ball,” the Brighton boss added.
Sportitalia also asked the 43-year-old to share his general view about the transfer market.
“When you have strong players, everything is always easier. This is where my willingness to intervene in the market was born. We always talk about the players, so it seems coherent to give some indications. I prefer to give precise indications on the market,” he stressed.
During his time at Sassuolo between 2018 and 2021, De Zerbi managed Davide Frattesi. The latter has now emerged as a target for Brighton. Although the Seagulls coach has not addressed these links, he did make a specific claim about the midfielder.
“I was wrong, I didn’t think he was that strong. I didn’t think he could be so complete; he’s become a great footballer,” De Zerbi said about Frattesi.
On Frattesi’s club teammate, Domenico Berardi, the Brighton manager said: “I would take him to all teams. But it also depends on what the club needs. At Shakhtar we had Tete and Neres.”
De Zerbi also had a similar take on Atalanta’s Jeremie Boga. He said: “I would take him to every team, just like Berardi. But at Brighton we don’t need that position.”
