Roberto De Zerbi’s stock has collapsed, and sticking at Brighton is the best way to bring it back.

Roberto De Zerbi took to the microphone at the Amex Stadium on Tuesday night, in front of a room full of Brighton supporters, he must have known it was only a matter of time before questions were raised about his future.

The moment came about 30 minutes into the evening, and the question itself speculation about your future affected you and your motivation?” — was met with applause from many fans in the room.

 

De Zerbi’s response was to pause for a few seconds, take a breath, and then ask his own question. “You want the truth?”

The reaction from the room was emphatic. “I don’t work for a career,” De Zerbi continued. “I work to wake up happy in the morning. And if I am happy at Brighton in the future, there is no team that can bring me.

“But if I’m not happy in the morning – if I don’t feel motivated to work like last season or this season – it can change because I’m not able to give my best.” I think if I am able to give my best, I can push the players. Otherwise, it’s hard. Because I can’t change my face. If I don’t believe or feel something strong, more than football, more than [] work, it’s hard for me.”

Was it an answer that will reassure those supporters who fear he might leave? Probably not. But that wasn’t the point. De Zerbi’s message was that he had no plans to escape. He is not planning a new job. He’s not trying to climb the ladder, he’s using Brighton as a rung. Everything is much simpler: if De Zerbi is happy, De Zerbi will stay.

So the question for Brighton is whether they can keep him happy without straying from their role model. Paul Barber, the club’s chief executive, joked on a fans’ forum that “every morning I get him cappuccinos, croissants, whatever he needs”, but there is a serious point. De Zerbi is an ambitious man and Brighton’s challenge since he arrived has always been to align his short-term desires with the club’s long-term strategy.

At the moment, Brighton’s first-team players have no idea whether their coach will stay or leave. Many of them are in love with De Zerbi and some of them may even consider their own future if he were to leave. Brighton must therefore prepare carefully for both scenarios.

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It wasn’t that long ago that it seemed inevitable that a bigger side would make a move for De Zerbi. As winter turned into spring, there were vacancies at Liverpool, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich. Gradually, however, these roles are filled. Arne Slot is heading to Liverpool, Xavi Hernandez is staying at Barcelona and Bayern have so far favored alternative options.

It is now entirely possible that De Zerbi will stay where he is. And if he were to start thinking more strategically, or “work for a career” as he puts it, he might even conclude that staying at Brighton for another year might be the best decision.

Why? Because this season took a terrible turn, due in large part to injuries, and his stock began to plummet as a result. In the Premier League, Brighton have won just one of their last nine games.

Of course, many clubs have suffered injuries this season, but Brighton’s fitness problems have been particularly severe. De Zerbi was without both of his first-choice wingers, Kaoru Mitoma and Solly March, for most of the campaign. Julio Enciso missed a huge chunk of the year. Pervis Estupinan, so central to last season’s success, and Evan Ferguson have both been plagued by injuries. Jack Hinshelwood came in, was impressed, and then was banned for months.

Earlier this week, Brighton announced the appointment of a new Chief Medical Officer, Professor Dr Florian Pfab, and a new Chief Performance Officer, Dr Gary Walker. Both will join the club ahead of next season, with Brighton hoping to overcome the injury crisis that has undermined their hopes of back-to-back European qualification.

A lack of European football may help Brighton next season

The sales of Alexis Mac Allister (to Liverpool) and Moises Caicedo (to Chelsea) also hurt. Brighton never wanted to sell Caicedo and indeed planned to have young Carlos Baleba (signed from Lille for £23m) learn from him this season. When Chelsea offered £115m, the deal was simply too good to turn down.

With Europa League football on Thursday nights, and all those players in rehab, the team struggled for consistency. They now look broken, with De Zerbi saying after Sunday’s loss at Bournemouth that the players lacked “soul” in their performance.

Crucially, for De Zerbi as a coach and for the club as a whole, there is good reason to believe that next season will be much more enjoyable.

Brighton does not need or want to sell any of their key players this summer and will continue to invest in new talent, as they did when they spent a combined fee of around £100m on Joao Pedro, Baleba, Bart Verbruggen, Igor, and Valentino Barca. the last two windows. Exciting young winger Ibrahim Osman has already secured a £16m deal from FC Nordsjalland.

Without Thursday Night Football taking its toll on the squad, with more investment in the first team this summer and their star players fit again, there is every reason to believe De Zerbi can restore Brighton as a genuine challenger among the elite. That would undoubtedly make him happier than ever when he woke up in the morning – and all the more attractive to Europe’s biggest clubs.

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