Manchester City are considering appointing 44-year-old Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi as Pep Guardiola’s successor.
Journalist Davide Chinellato feels Roberto De Zerbi could be an ideal successor to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. The Brighton & Hove Albion manager has been doing wonders in the Premier League and his playing style is somewhat similar to the Spanish tactician.
Guardiola has done it all at Manchester City. After getting off a to great start in his managerial career at Barcelona, the 52-year-old enjoyed a lot of success at Bayern Munich before joining Manchester City in the summer of 2016.
Since arriving in England, the Spanish manager has helped City win the Premier League five times. He has managed them in 425 matches and under his guidance they average 2.33 points per game. Last season, Guardiola finally managed to help the Citizens win its first-ever Champions League title.
They also managed to win the treble last season and not much is left for Guardiola to achieve at City. His current deal with the English club runs out after the end of next season. And, he is expected to part ways with the club after having won it all.
With his contract running out in around 18 months time, Manchester City have started thinking about a potential replacement. They want to sign someone who can succeed the 52-year-old at the club and play a similar brand of attacking football.
One of the managers who has a similar style is Mikel Arteta. But, he is committed to Arsenal and seems to be a rival at this point in time. According to Davide Chinellato, Brighton’s De Zerbi is someone who could be a great fit for the club.
Journalist Davide Chinellato while speaking on TVplay.it said, “Guardiola’s contract expires at the end of next season, we are not talking about succession but about ideas and understanding what he wants to do for the future. Possible managers from Manchester City are Arteta, it would be an obvious choice except that now he is doing very well with Arsenal and has become something of a rival.”
“The name of De Zerbi is gaining more and more popularity and is considered the new Guardiola in terms of playing style, approach and innovative football. He achieved results by taking Brighton to the best position in their history and going to Europe. Among the emerging managers of the Premier League he is at the top of the list and if he confirms himself this year his next step could be in a big club, perhaps even on the City bench.”
De Zerbi has been doing wonders for Brighton since taking charge last year. He helped them achieve their best-ever finish in the Premier League in 2022/23, guiding them to Europe for the first time in their history.
The 44-year-old is gaining a lot of popularity of late. His style of football is quite similar to that of Guardiola and he is considered to be the next big manager in world football. As a result, a move to a bigger club in the near future can’t be ruled out.
Chinellato feels that if De Zerbi can once again prove himself in the 2023-24 season, the next step could be a move to an even bigger club. He feels the 44-year-old could be the one who takes over from Guardiola at Manchester City.
