There are few better places to be in modern football than Brighton. With superstars from the pitch to the dug-out and the boardroom to the scouting department, the Seagulls have hit a sweet spot that makes them the envy of their rivals.
Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United is the club’s most high-profile game for a generation and represents the high water mark of what Brighton have achieved during Tony Bloom’s ownership. The question now is what happens next?
Roberto De Zerbi, their combustible coach, is a man in a hurry. The Italian has already tasted Champions League football with Shakhtar Donetsk and is impatient to get back to that level.
The problem is ‘impatience’ does not figure in the Brighton manual. Brighton have made it this far by being completely faithful to the smartest of plans. It means no shortcuts, no extravagance.
It means buying Alexis Mac Allister, Moises Caicedo and Kaoru Mitoma for £14million combined and accepting they may be sold for much more.
There are few better places to be in modern football than Brighton and Hove Albion (pictured)
The Seagulls have superstars from the pitch to the dug-out and the boardroom to the scouting department, and face Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Sunday
But Mail Sport understands there are tensions between owner Tony Bloom (left) and manager Roberto De Zerbi regarding the Italian’s ambition and autonomy in the transfer market
It means replacing them with other unknown gems and so the cycle begins again.
Mail Sport revealed in March that De Zerbi was keen to have increased input into Brighton’s transfer plans after leading the club to the brink of European football.
The 43-year-old backs his knowledge of the European game and believes he can bring in the players to take Brighton to the next level.
The problem for De Zerbi is that Brighton don’t work in this way, and it is thought to have irritated him.
Under Tony Bloom’s ownership, Brighton’s method has been to have the coach in charge of training, selection and tactics, while leaving scouting and recruitment to others.
Suggestions of tension with the hierarchy were denied by Brighton sources yet Mail Sport understands that not everything in the garden is rosy.
Bloom is not about to change his whole model for a coach, even one as impressive as De Zerbi.
De Zerbi knows he is talented and is not a man simply to stay in his lane. He admires Brighton’s recruitment policy – who doesn’t? – but is believed to have wanted greater backing in January to push for European football, even the top four.
De Zerbi knows he is talented and is not a man simply to stay in his lane – he wants more control
They spent about £9m on young midfielders Facundo Buonanotte and Yasin Ayari.
Brighton also dug their heels in and refused to sell Caicedo amid interest from Arsenal and Chelsea, a firm stance and outcome that would have pleased De Zerbi.
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In the meantime, Europe’s elite watch and wait. De Zerbi is admired by all the top clubs in his homeland, with Inter Milan the likeliest to make a change this summer. If Juventus decide to move on from Max Allegri, De Zerbi would be high on their list.
As strongly as Stefano Pioli has performed in the Champions League, he will be vulnerable if AC Milan do not win it and fail to qualify for next season’s edition.
Perhaps the creative tension that exists between Brighton and De Zerbi will continue to benefit both parties and they will maintain their effective partnership.
Or if De Zerbi receives an offer, Brighton may be happy to pocket the compensation and parachute in the next coaching star of the future. Either way, the coming weeks promise to be a breathless ride for both.