Total Disaster at Chelsea as Thier top target De Zerbi has rejected the offer to become Chelsea manager this morning
Due to a disagreement with Roberto De Zerbi, Mauricio Pochettino, the departing Brighton manager, acquired Ansu Fati last year.
After just one season, the former Chelsea manager departed Stamford Bridge after making some high-profile acquisitions, such as Moises Caicedo, who cost £100 million, and Romeo Lavia, who cost £53 million, both from Southampton.
One of the possible trades for Chelsea that never happened was for Barcelona’s Ansu Fati, a winger. De Zerbi ultimately brought the player to Brighton after concluding that he was a top-tier Premier League player, indicating that Pochettino had different ideas about the guy who may replace him.
The Athletic claims that Pochettino turned down the Blues’ bid to sign the 21-year-old Spaniard, who chose to spend the 2023–24 season with Brighton after temporarily leaving Camp Nou.
Considering how well-known Fati is, the football world was unprepared for his arrival in Brighton. The Italian manager, who had signed the Spain international for a season, talked highly of the player.
De Zerbi praised Fati, saying, “I’m extremely thrilled, it’s a big player.” “We needed one key guy, and we lost Enciso. We are fortunate to have a large number of young players who have the potential to be elite players and will carry additional responsibilities.
“We cannot make mistakes with these players because football need this skill and you have to handle it in different ways. If you deal with this talent, you have a lot of responsibility because it’s our football heritage.”
The 44-year-old went on, “This is how I’ve always thought. I feel it is my duty to assist the very talented players in becoming outstanding players. Football requires exceptional players, but occasionally coaches are just concerned with their own performance and career goals. I feel a great deal of responsibility for it. I believe that our aesthetic closely resembles his traits and attributes.”
However, Fait’s time in England proved short-lived as he struggled with form and injuries, registering only four goals in thirty games across all competitions. He will likely probably play again for a Hansi Flick-managed Barcelona team in the upcoming campaign.
Meanwhile, De Zerbi is one of the favorites to become the new manager of Chelsea, and he may wind up taking over Pochettino’s Chelsea team. Thomas Frank of Brentford and current Leicester boss Enzo Maresca are also being considered.