Roberto De Zerbi has impressed a lot at the helm of Brighton in the last few years, achieving great results with very little means. As a result, he has been linked with several clubs including AC Milan, and he has now confirmed his desire to coach in Italy.
De Zerbi has been the manager of Brighton since September 2022, replacing Graham Potter who joined Chelsea. After finishing sixth in his first season at the club, the 44-year-old has been heavily praised for his innovative style of play.
He uses a 4-2-3-1 formation and given that he also came through Milan’s youth ranks as a player, he has been linked with the Rossoneri for the post-Stefano Pioli era. In an interview with Sky UK, De Zerbi confirmed his desire to coach in Serie A one day and also spoke about Milan.
“I love my country, I love Italy, I love Italian football. I don’t know, for sure one of my targets is to go back to work in my country but I don’t know when the time will be.
“I feel very happy in the Premier League, and I have to say thanks to Brighton, the league, all the coaches and people. Living in the UK, the problem is not where you work but how you work, not the place.
“Draw Milan in the Europa League? For me, Milan isn’t a normal club, because as a player I was born at Milan. In my life, I’ll always be grateful to Milan. There are two or three Italian teams in the Europa League, we’ll see the draw,” he stated as transcribed by Football Italia.
An exit in the summer appears unlikely for De Zerbi, especially since Brighton probably will demand a lot of money (as they did when Potter left). Milan have a few other names on their list and Pioli’s future has not been fully defined yet, even if a farewell appears to be on the cards.
