Sources: De Zerbi feels Tottenham job has come a year too early for him
Roberto De Zerbi wants to spend another season at Brighton before making the step up to a Champions League-calibre club, sources have told Football Insider.
The 43-year-old only joined the Seagulls in September 2022 following Graham Potter’s move to Chelsea, but his immediate impact in the Premier League has attracted attention from elsewhere.
Tottenham showed strong interest in De Zerbi in recent months as a replacement for his compatriot Antonio Conte, but he is expected to stay put at the Amex Stadium.
Football Insider sources revealed on Sunday (25 March) that De Zerbi is now out of the running for the Spurs job.
The North London side decided to narrow their candidates down to managers currently out of a job, with the club not willing to pay millions in compensation to Brighton for De Zerbi’s services.
It is understood that De Zerbi feels the Tottenham job came a year too early for him – he is happy and settled at Brighton and would like to gain more experience before moving elsewhere.
He has been managing for just short of a decade, with his first managerial stint coming at Italian club Darfo Boario in 2013.
Now set to stay at Brighton, it is understood that De Zerbi could be rewarded with a new contract over the summer for his loyalty and success this season.
Brighton have climbed to seventh in the Premier League table under the Italian, just seven points off the top four.
De Zerbi has won 13 and drawn six of his 25 games with Brighton this season, giving him an impressive 52 per cent win record.
In other news, Julian Nagelsmann will only take Tottenham job on one condition