Roberto De Zerbi’s stint at Brighton & Hove Albion has been relatively short but memorable.
In less than two years, the Italian tactician has rewritten the club’s history books and earned a reputation as one of Europe’s hottest young managers.
Brighton had to react quickly after losing Graham Potter to Chelsea at the start of the 2022/23 campaign, and they turned to the 44-year-old to fill the vacancy.
Out of the job after departing Shakhtar Donetsk amidst the Ukrainian war, the former Sassuolo boss didn’t have to think twice before accepting the Seagulls’ proposal.
And the rest is history.
History maker
In his first season at the helm, De Zerbi turned Brighton into a force to be reckoned with, culminating with the club’s first-ever European qualification, courtesy of a sixth-place finish in the Premier League.
Brighton left Tottenham Hotspur, among others, in their wake and, in doing so, they displayed an exciting football, averaging 1.89 goals per league match.
However, unaccustomed to battles on multiple fronts, the club from East Sussex collapsed in 2023/24, eventually finishing 11th, and bowed out of the Europa League last-16 at the hands of Roma.
Now’s the time for Brighton to move on after deciding to part company with De Zerbi following a 2-0 home loss to Manchester United on the final weekend as fans in the stadium and plenty of Premier League fans around the world watched via football live streaming in disbelief.
Despite damaging his reputation down the tail-end of his Seagulls career, De Zerbi is still a target for Serie A giants Napoli, as per CalcioNapoli24.
Who’s coming in?
According to Sky Sports, Kieran McKenna is the front-runner to replace De Zerbi after guiding Ipswich Town to Premier League promotion against the odds.
The 38-year-old is another up-and-coming manager who encourages free-flowing counter-attacking football, unlike De Zerbi, whose tactics mostly rely on possession and patient build-up.
Under McKenna’s stewardship, Ipswich defied expectations to secure a runner-up finish in the Championship, only one point adrift of Leicester City.
The Blues did not only leave Leeds United and Southampton in the dust, but they finished the season as the most prolific side in England’s second tier with 92 goals.
On that basis, Brighton fans have every reason to look forward to McKenna’s potential arrival, but keeping hold of standout first-team stars over the summer will be crucial.
Adingra and others in crosshairs of Premier League elite
Simon Adingra enjoyed a telling breakout campaign at the Amex Stadium, even though a tally of six goals and one assist from 31 league appearances may suggest otherwise.
His performances haven’t gone unnoticed, and Brighton will have to fend off suitors in the coming months to retain the services of the 22-year-old winger.
The same goes for talented defender Jan Paul van Hecke and illustrious forward Joao Pedro after both players went from strength to strength in 2023/24.
Ensuring squad depth of the utmost importance
Injuries to several first-team members, including Solly March and Kaoru Mitoma, had a devastating impact on De Zerbi’s second season in charge, significantly depleting his attacking options.
When Joao Pedro succumbed to a hamstring injury at the start of February, it was a hammer blow for Brighton, leaving the Italian coach with bare bones in the front third.
A lack of back-up options was the only culprit behind the Seagulls’ barren run in the second half of the season, but all the absentees should recover for the beginning of the 2024/25 campaign.
However, that shouldn’t tuck Brighton into a false sense of security as they still need to take a proactive approach in the transfer window to address the team’s shortcomings.
What to expect in 2024/25?
If Brighton can add some quality to the squad in the coming months, there’s a genuine possibility for this side to return to the European qualification picture next term.
McKenna must recover the team’s mentality and hit the ground running from the get-go to bolster the Seagulls’ high ambitions.
If his season at Ipswich is anything to go by, the highly-rated manager is more than capable of delivering the results.
