Brighton assistant Andrea Maldera suggests that Roberto De Zerbi might find it hard to reject Napoli if the Serie A club reaches out in the future, as they are one of his favorite teams.
De Zerbi faced a tough task when he took over from Graham Potter at the Amex Stadium in September 2022, but the 44-year-old has arguably exceeded expectations, earning high praise for his work on the south coast.
Last season, De Zerbi guided Brighton to European football for the first time ever with a sixth-placed finish. Currently, the club is in eighth position in the Premier League table.
The departure of several key players – such as Moises Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister and Robert Sanchez – threatened to disrupt Brighton’s progress ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. However, De Zerbi has coped well with a relatively small budget compared to other teams around them.
Brighton acknowledges that they will not be able to keep hold of De Zerbi forever, given the interest from clubs like Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea. The club’s CEO Paul Barber confessed that the Italian likely has ambitions to 'take his skill base elsewhere' earlier this month.
However, De Zerbi – who is under contract until 2026 – remains focused on finishing the season successfully with the Seagulls and has repeatedly brushed off the constant rumors about his future when facing the media.
De Zerbi has been open about his interest in returning to his home country of Italy in the future, and Napoli – the current Serie A champions – have been mentioned as a potential destination for the former Shakhtar Donetsk manager.
The Brighton manager played for Napoli from 2006 to 2010, and his assistant, Maldera, spoke positively about a potential reunion while talking to Radio Goal on Kiss Kiss Napoli.
'De Zerbi at Napoli? He loves Italy,' Maldera said.
'We’re happy at Brighton. We have another two years on our contract, but if a proposal came from Italy, including from Naples, Roberto would consider it.
'I don’t know, but why say no to a place like Naples?'
De Zerbi led Brighton to Europe for the first time in the club’s history (Picture: Getty)
'It’s not true that I don’t think about it, but usually I do what I like. I do what makes me happy, and right now it is to be where I am,' the Brighton manager told reporters.
'I’m fortunate now to be able to compete with these teams at this level and play these games.
'It makes me happy when we win, but even when we lose, I feel something special.'
De Zerbi promised to go back to his home country at some point but mentioned there were certain aspects of Italian football that he wasn't fond of when he left Sassuolo for Shakhtar in 2021.
He said, 'Someday I will return to Italy, I'm not sure when that day will be.'
He also stated, 'However, it's true that when I made the decision to join Shakhtar a couple of years ago, it was because I wanted to explore opportunities outside Italy. Without getting into too much detail, there were aspects of Italy that I wasn't happy with, so I chose to try something different.'
Brighton fans, close your eyes now!
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