Guardiola okays Brighton’s new manager

Former Shakhtar Donetsk coach De Zerbi was hired by Brighton on Sunday as the successor to Graham Potter following his move to Chelsea.

The 43-year-old Italian has earned admiration for his sides’ attacking brand of football, while his overachieving Sassuolo teams in Serie A attracted widespread praise.

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His principles caught the eye of Guardiola, who reached out to his kindred spirit to congratulate him on joining Brighton.

“I spoke to Pep on Sunday evening, yes. He’s very happy that I’m on board here,” De Zerbi said. “He told me very good things about the club. And he told me that if I need he will be very happy to help me. But of course not in the match we are playing against them!”

De Zerbi claimed he picked Brighton over a host of other managerial opportunities after leaving Ukrainian club Shakhtar in July following the Russian invasion.

“The choice of coaching in Ukraine was mine, I had chances to stay in Serie A but I chose to go to Shakhtar,” De Zerbi said.

The Nation