Roberto De Zerbi has confirmed he would ‘love’ to stay at Brighton after months of speculation over his future – and could even stay there for 20 years.
The Italian spoke briefly with owner Tony Bloom and plans further discussions on his future.
He has been linked with some of Europe’s most important jobs, including at Bayern Munich, Chelsea, AC Milan, Manchester United and Liverpool in recent months.
“We’re going to talk with Tony (Bloom). I think I would like to stay at Brighton because I love my players. I love this city. I love my club, my fans,” De Zerbi said.
“I said at the meeting with the fans, if I’m happy, no club can bring themselves to change teams but I always want to keep my passion.
Roberto De Zerbi revealed he wants to stay at Brighton and is in talks with owner Tony Bloom
The Italian has been linked with several top positions in Europe despite a decline compared to last season.
Although not as stellar as his sixth-place finish last year, De Zerbi has still led Brighton to a respectable season as they sit 12th in the Premier League.
They also reached the knockout stages of the Europa League on their continental debut, but were knocked out 4-1 on aggregate by Roma.
De Zerbi’s excessive performances with the club fueled speculation of an exit, as did his comment in February that he was “not close” to signing a new deal. Its current term runs until 2026.
Brief discussions have already taken place, but he wants more in-depth conversations with Bloom.
De Zerbi said: “We didn’t speak for long, 20 minutes, but we spoke a week ago. I have nothing against Tony. I’m used to telling the truth and the truth is difficult to accept.
“When I said that this season could be important for the improvement of everyone, starting with the owner, perhaps you understood it in a different way. It was not polemical (controversial ), that was what I was thinking at the time.
“It was to improve myself, because when I work in a club, I feel the work as if it were my club and I work thinking of staying for 15 years. Maybe I can leave tomorrow, but when I work in a club, the passion that I put into it, the attitude, the behavior is to stay in this club for 15, 20 years.
He had a brief conversation with owner Tony Bloom but wants more conversations about his future.
Brighton are 12th in the Premier League and reached the knockout stages of the Europa League this year
“I would like to improve season after season, match after match, year after year and I always want something more, from myself, from the other people who work with me, from everyone. I have the conscience quiet, very clear.
“I want to be happy because I would like to play every match with all my potential qualities in the players, the team, the style of play, the quality of the players and this season, especially in the last three months, we have been able to ” I do not do it.
“I think the team we had at the start of this season was enough to compete. If you can rotate players, you can reach the crucial part of the season in different ways.
“Some of my players like Pascal Gross, Lewis Dunk, Danny Wellbeck, Jean Paul van Hecke, Billy Gilmore, played every match for three, four months. It is normal to arrive in March and April in not perfect conditions.