'Why say no?' – Brighton assistant reveals Roberto De Zerbi could be tempted to leave club for Napoli | HUVRIVY | 2024-03-23 16:08:01
Brighton assistant Andrea Maldera says Roberto De Zerbi might wrestle to turn down Napoli ought to the Serie A membership come calling sooner or later, with the Italian champions 'amongst his favorite teams'.
De Zerbi had big footwear to fill when he took over the reins from Graham Potter at the Amex Stadium again in September 2022 but the 44-year-old has arguably surpassed expectations, earning rave evaluations for the work he has accomplished on the south coast.
Last season, De Zerbi steered Brighton to European football for the first time in history with a sixth-placed finish and the membership sit eighth in the Premier League table this time period.
The departure of several key players – reminiscent of Moises Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister and Robert Sanchez – threatened to derail Brighton's progress ahead of the 2023/24 campaign but De Zerbi has coped admirably on a comparatively modest price range in comparison with those groups round them.
Brighton perceive they will be unable to maintain hold of De Zerbi ceaselessly, amid interest from the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea, and the club's CEO Paul Barber admitted the Italian likely had ambitions to 'take his skill base elsewhere' earlier this month.
Nevertheless, De Zerbi – who's tied into a contract till 2026 – remains laser-focussed on seeing out a profitable end to the season with the Seagulls and has repeatedly batted away the incessant rumours over his future when dealing with the media.
De Zerbi has made no secret of his interest in returning to his native Italy down the road and Napoli – the reigning Serie A champions – have been mooted as a potential destination for the former Shakhtar Donetsk boss.
The Brighton supervisor played for Napoli between 2006 and 2010 and his assistant, Maldera, talked up a potential reunion while chatting with Radio Aim on Kiss Kiss Napoli.
'De Zerbi at Napoli? He is in love with Italy,' Maldera stated.
'It's his country, and Napoli is among his favorite teams.
'We're fantastic at Brighton. We've got another two years on our contract, then if a proposal came from Italy, and in addition from Naples, Roberto would take it into consideration.
'I don't know, however why say no to a spot like Naples?'
De Zerbi insisted he was 'glad' at Brighton was quizzed on a possible return to Serie A ahead of the aspect's Europa League last-16 conflict with Roma earlier this month.
'It's not true that I don't give it some thought, but often I do what I like. I do what makes me completely happy and right now it is to be where I am,' the Brighton manager advised reporters.
'I'm lucky now to be able to compete with these groups at this degree to play these video games.
'It makes me completely satisfied once we win but in addition once we lose, I really feel one thing special.'
Ian Wright names the Manchester United star who is a 'massive problem'
Chelsea star returns from international duty early due to illness
Bacary Sagna backs Chelsea star to become 'the best player in the league in his position'
De Zerbi vowed to return to his homeland at some stage but stated there were 'some issues' he 'didn't like' about Italian soccer when he left Sassuolo for Shakhtar in 2021.
'At some point I'll come back to Italy, I don't know when today will come,' he added.
'However it's true that once I made this selection a few years in the past to go to Shakhtar, I did it because I needed to find a approach outdoors Italy and, without going into an excessive amount of detail, there were some issues in Italy that I didn't like so I decided to attempt one thing else.'
For more tales like this, check our sport page.
Comply with Metro Sport for the newest information on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Privacy PolicyThis website is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
More >> https://ift.tt/rP3YSXI Source: MAG NEWS
