Chelsea Eyes Roberto De Zerbi as PotentialI Successor to Mauricio Pochettino

Italian Coach De Zerbi Interested in Chelsea Job, Brighton Compensation Still Required

Roberto De Zerbi has become one of the top candidates for the vacant Chelsea manager position. He joins other contenders like Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna, Leicester’s Enzo Maresca, and Brentford’s Thomas Frank on Chelsea’s shortlist.

De Zerbi, who previously managed Brighton, is eager to get back into management and believes he is a good fit for the Chelsea job. However, even though he has left Brighton, Chelsea would still need to pay a compensation fee of £5 million to hire him.

Chelsea’s management is not deterred by this fee and is considering De Zerbi as a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino. The club is conducting thorough interviews before making a final decision, looking for a manager who can grow with the team under its new ownership.

Meanwhile, Brighton is looking at Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna as a possible replacement for De Zerbi. McKenna is also on Manchester United’s radar.

During his time at Brighton, De Zerbi led the team to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League and an FA Cup semi-final in the 2022/23 season. Despite a strong start, tensions with Brighton’s chairman Tony Bloom led to his departure. Brighton finished 11th after a disappointing end to the season, winning only two of their last 11 matches. They also reached the last 16 of the Europa League, but both the club and De Zerbi decided it was time for a change.

De Zerbi took over at Brighton in September 2022, following Graham Potter’s move to Chelsea. Known for his high-energy, aggressive style of play, De Zerbi quickly made a name for himself at Brighton.