Tony Bloom reveals the brutal truth behind De Zerbi’s exit from Brighton.
Brighton and Hove Albion’s Chairman Tony Bloom has revealed just why Roberto de Zerbi was surprisingly let go from his post at the end of last season, stemming from a fundamental disagreement between the Italian and the club that was present from day one.
De Zerbi in demand
Ahead of Brighton’s clash with Manchester United on the final day of the 2023-24 Premier League season, the Seagulls announced that Italian coach Roberto De Zerbi would be leaving the club.
“We have mutually agreed to end Roberto’s contract at a time that suits both parties allowing us the earliest opportunity to plan for next season, and Roberto plenty of time to consider his next move and his future”, Bloom explained.
It came as a major shock, with De Zerbi having been hailed by fellow managers and the media for his stint at the AMEX Stadium, and having been linked with a move to Chelsea, Manchester United, Barcelona and AC Milan, only for his release clause on the south coast to prove prohibitive.
He helped guide Brighton to their first ever taste of European football, but a tough season saw them slip to 11th as injuries and defensive woes crippled the Seagulls in the wake of the exits of Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister the previous summer.
Now at Marseille, the top level interest which promised to transpire never did, and now Bloom has revealed just why his sudden exit had to happen.
Fundamental disagreement over transfer strategy
That comes thanks to a major disagreement over the transfer strategy that Brighton utilise, which often revolves around selling their best assets for a massive profit and replacing them with young, largely unknown talents based on data-driven recruitment, as they did when replacing Caicedo with youngster Carlos Baleba
