Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi has been linked with a move away from the club for months now. Bayern Munich has put the highly rated Italian manager atop their wishlist to replace Thomas Tuchel. Barcelona will also need a new coach following the pending departure of Xavi. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is departing at the end of the season, and De Zerbi is among the candidates to fill that void

While the Reds are fairly unlikely to target De Zerbi, Premier League officials will be hoping that the coach remains in the division. The 44-year-old manager is one of the top coaches in the entire English top flight. De Zerbi has received this praise after working wonders with the Seagulls in the last 18 months at the helm.

Many assumed Brighton would suffer quite a bit following the departure of former manager Graham Potter. After all, the Englishman was responsible for taking the team from constant relegation battles to the top half of the table. Nevertheless, De Zerbi guided the Seagulls even further up the standings.

Not only has the South Coast club featured in European competition for the first time in their history, but the Italian has them playing attractive soccer. In fact, Brighton scored the fourth-most goals of any Premier League team during the 2022/23 campaign. They have followed this up by netting more goals than Manchester United, West Ham, and Chelsea this season.

De Zerbi wants to keep hold of a forward duo for next season

As De Zerbi is being linked with top teams, Brighton brass are attempting to hold on to their coach. The Italian previously hinted that he would soon move away from the team. However, the coach has now indicated that he may stay beyond the summer. Liverpool distancing themselves from targeting the Italian may have played a part in the possible reversal.

Following Brighton’s draw with Brentford on Wednesday night, De Zerbi spoke about keeping star striker Joao Pedro on the team for next season. Pedro has scored 19 total goals on the season and has been linked with a move as well. The coach also claimed that Deniz Undav will play for Brighton next season. The striker is currently on loan at German side Stuttgart. De Zerbi’s comments regarding the players certainly seem as if he is still locked into the team’s plans.

Brighton’s latest financial figures may help convince the coach to stay

The Brighton manager went on to praise Paul Barber, the club’s chief executive, in the postgame interview as well. Barber recently revealed that the team posted record profits during the 2022/23 financial year. In a statement, the executive claimed the additional funds will go toward players in the upcoming summer transfer market.

If true, this would be music to De Zerbi’s ears. After all, the coach’s main worry about remaining with Brighton is their ability to compete financially with bigger clubs. The impressive profits for the year, however, do not even include massive moves to offload Moises Caicedo and Robert Sanchez. The duo is helping the Seagulls bring in another $144 million in transfer fees.

Liverpool, and the other major aforementioned European clubs, will most likely be fine if they opt not to sign De Zerbi. Nevertheless, Brighton must do whatever they can to hold on to the Italian coach for the near future. The Seagulls will have to convince their manager this summer by splashing the cash on several key additions to the squad.

PHOTOS: IMAGO.