Roberto De Zerbi has revealed he will meet with Brighton & Hove Albion owner and chairman Tony Bloom to discuss his future but that he would like to stay at the club if certain things can happen.
De Zerbi has reportedly attracted interest from other Premier League clubs and teams abroad after impressing at Brighton since he joined in 2022. He led them to a sixth-placed finish last season while implementing an exciting style of play.
When asked a few months ago he said he was "not close to signing a new one [contract]" but has now revealed to Sky Sports that he will be happy at the club if he is able to keep a squad that allows him to rotate his players so they are fresh enough to meet his demands.
"We're going to speak with Tony," he said. "I think I would like to stay in Brighton because I love my players. I love this city. I love my club, my fans.
"I said in the meeting with the fans, if I'm happy, there isn't any club can bring myself to change a team but I want to keep my passion always.
"I want to be happy because I would like to compete every game with all my potential qualities in the players, the squad, the style of play, the quality of the players and this season, especially in the last three months, we couldn't do that.
"I would like to stay at Brighton" 🔵
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 3, 2024
Roberto De Zerbi says he wants to stay at the club and plans to speak to Brighton chairman Tony Bloom about his future. pic.twitter.com/ZtV50LbQoo
"The squad we had when we have started this season, was enough to compete. If you can rotate the players, you can reach the crucial part of the season in different way.
"Some of my players like Pascal Gross, Lewis Dunk, Danny Welbeck, Jan Paul van Hecke, Billy Gilmour, they played every game for three, four months. It's normal to reach March and April in the not perfect condition.
"We can't forget we are Brighton. We are not a top team. We have to accept our policy at the club because we love working in Brighton, but if we can compete for a higher level, we have to compete without problem.
"I don't like it when people are beaten before they start. We have to keep our motivation, our ambition high, and then we will see what we are able to do.
"We have to speak with Tony, with Paul [Barber, CEO) because I can't forget what has been Brighton for me, what has been Paul Barber and Tony Bloom for me.
De Zerbi: Why next season can be different
"I work with all my qualities. I spent a year and a half of my time thinking only about Brighton. We wrote the history of Brighton together. Not the players, not the staff, not the club, but all together.
"I am suffering because I'm hungry. If I think what was my dream before the season, I feel pain. I can't be angry because I know I've done all my energies, the players and the club are the same. We made mistakes, but mistakes are part of football and life."