Reports have emerged that Roberto De Zerbi could be the man to be appointed as the new Chelsea head coach. Since sacking Mauricio Pochettino last week, the club have finalised a shortlist of candidates. Thomas Frank, Enzo Maresca and De Zerbi are the four names that have emerged as favourties. Ruben Amorim was also a manager who was discussed by the management, but the deal to get him to Chelsea is expected to be complicated.
Among all the names, De Zerbi is the coach who has received a lot of love from the fans. His management style has helped Brighton level up and become a difficult team to play against. The Italian has coached several players on the Chelsea team including Moises Caicedo, Mudryk and Levi Colwill. This added to the fact that he is one of the more experienced names on the list, gives him the advantage over the others.
The sacking of Roberto De Zerbi from Brighton makes his release clause a lot less than the initial one of 15 million pounds. This should fast-track the process as the club will be hoping to get the manager on board as soon as possible. De Zerbi has managed a few clubs, but this is going to be the first time that he manages a club with the stature of Chelsea. Pep Guardiola heaped high praise on him during one of his press conferences, which speaks volumes about his ability. However, it will be interesting to see how he performs in a pressure environment like Chelsea, where winning trophies is a must.
Can Roberto De Zerbi succeed at Chelsea?
Chelsea finished the 2023-24 season sixth in the Premier League. This is great progress because they were lingering in the bottom half of the table for the majority of the campaign. However, Pochettino gathered his troops and put on a stellar show to finish the season with five consecutive wins and confirm their place in the Conference League.
This now means that if De Zerbi is appointed as their coach, he will have the added pressure of leading the Blues to glory in Europe. Despite having been a coach for over a decade, the Italian is yet to win a major trophy. However, he has not had the resources needed to deliver silverware, but that changes if he is appointed the manager at Chelsea. The Blues are more than willing to spend money on talent. They already have a squad loaded with young stars who can deliver good results.
He has developed some special young talents in his time at Brighton, one of them is the most expensive player in British football, Moises Caicedo. The Ecuadorian flourished under De Zerbi last season. He invited offers from many top clubs but decided to join Chelsea last summer. If the Italian comes to Chelsea, the two could reunite and it could unleash Caicedo into becoming a sensational midfielder.
De Zerbi will also be excited to link with Mudryk, the Ukrainian was part of the Shakhtar team that the Italian coached before moving to England. Mudryk has had his struggles with adjusting to life in the PL, but De Zerbi could be the right man who unlocks his true potential and make him the star winger that he was expected to be at Chelsea.
