Man United & Liverpool are both keen on De Zerbi and players marvel at his work

‘Find the next Roberto De Zerbi.’ Up and down the land, chairmen and chief executives have issued the same instruction to their recruitment teams thanks to the Italian’s eye-catching impact at Brighton.

Dancing around his technical area with his natty black jumpers, spiky hair and immaculately tended beard, De Zerbi has bewitched the boardrooms of the Premier League since he landed in England in September 2022.

Now it seems a matter of time before he is rocking that look in the Champions League with European football agog to see where he turns up next.

There will be a change of manager at Liverpool this summer and very possibly at Manchester United too, with Dan Ashworth poised to take control of the football structure. De Zerbi has admirers at both clubs as well as overseas. His style would be perfect for Barcelona and the big hitters back home in Italy love him too.

Arrigo Sacchi, architect of the era-defining AC Milan teams of the late 1980s and early 1990s, says De Zerbi is ‘the most exciting coach of his generation, ready for a big job. He wants to innovate, go beyond the present and find different solutions for the future.’ Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have praised him often.

Glorious attacking football devised by a young, charismatic coach who is adored by his players and fans alike. A man so close to his players that as war in Ukraine began and the Russian bombs fell, he stayed with his Shakhtar Donetsk squad in their hotel basement rather than accepting an instant route back to Italy. A man so obsessed with football that he keeps a notepad and pen at his bedside, ready to record those sparks of genius that fly in the early hours.

What is not to like for Europe’s top clubs? When it comes to De Zerbi, though, it is