Brighton & Hove Albion manager Roberto De Zerbi has told TuttoMercatoWeb that he’s long been an admirer of Newcastle United target Sandro Tonali.
The midfielder is set to leave AC Milan for Newcastle in the summer window.
Brighton’s boss was at the Trofeo Maestrelli award ceremony yesterday, where he was directly asked to share his view on Tonali’s impending move to Newcastle.
“I think he’ll do well, he’ll be able to compete even if he was already at Milan. I’ve always liked him,” he said.
De Zerbi arrived at The Amex last September and has already helped the Seagulls qualify for the Europa League. The former Sassuolo manager’s impressive work at Brighton saw him recently linked to Napoli.
On these links, De Zerbi explained: “I only know that [Luciano] Spalletti has done an amazing job. He was already a great coach, but this season he won and put his stamp on it. Napoli were a source of pride abroad as well.”
After refusing to either confirm or deny Napoli’s interest, the Italian was asked if he has a desire to return to Serie A at some stage in the future. His current deal with the Premier League side runs until 2026.
Responding to that, the Brighton coach said: “I’d like to do it, even if I don’t know when. But in a few years because this job is tough. My goal is to come back, even if it’s not a necessity because I want to have fun.”
On the compassion between the top leagues in Italy and England, De Zerbi added: “We need to understand what we’re talking about. The Premier League can buy anyone but on a tactical level we are perhaps a little more strategist.”
