Chelsea Identify ‘Genius’ As Mauricio Pochettino Replacement

Speculation over the future of Brighton and Hove Albion manager Roberto De Zerbi has continued after the Italian was identified by Chelsea as a potential replacement for Mauricio Pochettino, according to the Guardian.

The Brighton boss is also on the shortlist to replace Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager at the end of the season and has been linked to the Manchester United job with Erik ten Hag’s future uncertain.

Brighton Boss Roberto De Zerbi Identified By Chelsea As Mauricio Pochettino Replacement

De Zerbi’s Situation at Brighton

The Italian’s brave and expansive style of football has seen him become a fan favourite at the Amex while gaining admirers from further afield. Such tactical acumen has seen him referred to as a “genius”

Manchester City’s manager Pep Guardiola praised De Zerbi earlier this season saying he is “one of the coaches I admire most in world football”.

The former Shakhtar Donetsk manager has built a side injected with youth that are committed in their style of playing from the back and beating the press.

After taking over from Graham Potter in September 2022, De Zerbi guided Brighton to a sixth-place finish last season as they qualified for European football for the first time.

The Seagulls now sit in ninth in the Premier League and are to face AS Roma in the round of 16 of the Europa League after they topped their group containing Ajax and Marseille.

De Zerbi signed a four-year contract when he took charge meaning he will have two years left come the end of this season. His release clause is said to be worth up to £10 million.

In a recent interview with Sky Sports, the Italian said: “When I hear that big teams are interested in me it is an honour. I am proud, but my focus is on my work day by day.

“About the future, I will speak with the owner and with the club because I want to compete in the best way I can.

“I would like in my career to compete to win the Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga, La Liga, Champions League.”

He revealed in a press conference back in December that he was in discussions with the Seagulls about extending his contract which would increase the value of the release clause.

He said: “I feel very well in Brighton. I have a great relationship with the players, with the club. We are speaking about the new contract.”

Premier League Interest for De Zerbi

Chelsea have identified De Zerbi as a potential replacement for Pochettino in the summer alongside Sporting’s Ruben Amorim who has guided the Portuguese side to the top of the Primeira Liga table.

The Blues have experienced another turbulent season in the Argentinian’s first campaign with the club and are currently sitting 11^th in the Premier League table.

After losing the Carabao Cup final against a depleted and youthful Liverpool side late on in extra time and unconvincing displays against Leeds United and Brentford since then, unrest among Chelsea fans is growing towards the former Tottenham Hotspur boss.

Despite the underwhelming campaign so far and with Todd Boehly once again potentially looking to Brighton for the answers, Pochettino is thought to still have the backing of the Chelsea hierarchy, after he signed a two-year contract with the club at the start of the season.

De Zerbi has also been named on the shortlist to replace Jurgen Klopp whose reign as Liverpool manager is set to come to an end the campaign after nine seasons at the club.

However, the leading candidate to take over at Anfield is Xabi Alonso who is currently taking charge of Bayer Leverkusen. The Spaniard has taken the German club to the top of the Bundesliga as they sit ten points clear of Bayern Munich in second, who have won the last 11 titles in Germany.

Klopp has expressed his admiration of Alonso saying he is a “standout” and that “the football he is playing, the teams he sets up, the transfers he did, it is absolutely exceptional.”

However, Bayern’s below-par season has meant they will also part ways with current manager Thomas Tuchel come May and Alonso has been heavily linked to take over, increasing the likelihood of Liverpool turning to De Zerbi.

Brighton’s boss has also been linked to the Manchester United role with significant changes being made after Sir Jim Ratcliffe bought 25% of the club and was given sporting control.

The Red Devils have already poached Manchester City’s CEO Omar Berrada and it is expected that Dan Ashworth, formerly sporting director of Brighton, will join the club after going on gardening leave from Newcastle United, who he signed for from the Seagulls in 2022.

The restructuring of the club already taking place under Sir Ratcliffe has raised questions over Ten Hag’s future, with his side sitting in sixth place and the new co-owner stressing the importance of Champions League football.

As for Brighton, Ashworth’s departure was a sign of things to come for the Seagulls’ assets and the attention they would attract from the rest of the Premier League.

Brighton’s Ability To Cope With Departures 

Brighton have proven their ability to cope with losing their top talent on and off the pitch in recent seasons, particularly to Stamford Bridge, through their excellent recruitment model.

The loss of Graham Potter to Chelsea in September 2022 appeared to be a blow to the Seagulls but after finishing ninth in the 2021/22 season, the acquisition of De Zerbi has seen Brighton reach new heights.

The South Coast side have had to manage the exits of their standout players, most recently with Moises Caicedo and Robert Sanchez joining Chelsea and World Cup-winner Alexis Macallister joining Liverpool, all in the 2023 summer transfer window.

The Seagulls lost their 2021/22 player of the season Marc Cucurella in the subsequent summer, also to Chelsea. Similarly, their 2020/21 player of the season Ben White immediately joined Arsenal.

However, they have continued to replace these players with others who have matched or exceeded the standards set by their predecessors, signing the likes of Pervis Estupinian, Billy Gilmour, and Kaoru Mitoma.

Brighton’s meticulous and successful recruitment means they not only adequately replace departing players but are generating significant profit margins when players are sold on, creating a highly sustainable business model.

Caicedo was sold to Chelsea for £115 million – a British record transfer fee, after being bought for £4.5 million in 2021. Cucurella joined Chelsea for £63 million after being signed for £16 million while academy product Ben White moved to North London in a move valued at £50 million.

In Brighton’s current squad, four of their most exciting attackers – Mitoma, Simon Adingra, Julio Enciso and Facundo Buonanotte – were bought for a combined £28.7 million.

Ironically, much of this success can be attributed to Paul Winstanley and Sam Jewell. Winstanley was Brighton’s head of recruitment before being snapped up by Chelsea himself, adding to the growing list of Albion assets making the move to West London.

Winstanley was replaced by Sam Jewell who is on gardening leave and could also be on his way to join the Blues.

As for De Zerbi, Brighton’s track record suggests they will have something up their sleeve in anticipation of his exit, but the fans will perhaps start to question how long this model of letting go of top talent can go on.