If you want a manager that plays attractive, quick and dynamic football on the deck, then it's probably best to go for someone who admires Pep Guardiola.
That's exactly what Brighton have done by hiring Roberto De Zerbi. The 43-year-old may not be a household name in the Premier League - not yet, at least - but he's got a fine reputation in Italy and is still young enough to become a world-renowned manager.
Brighton knew they needed a coach who would carry on Graham Potter's superb work when he succeeded Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea earlier this month. The Englishman turned the Seagulls from perennial survivors into European dreamers inside three years.
Potter's side finished an impressive ninth in the Premier League last season and made a good start this time around, winning four of their first six outings. Brighton reached those dizzy heights by playing eye-catching football, so it's no surprise Chelsea came calling.
Potter is a hard act to follow, yet De Zerbi might just be the person for the job. The Italian was a bit of a journeyman during his playing days, representing 13 different clubs - including AC Milan, Napoli, Brescia and Romanian side CFR Cluj - before retiring.
Learning from the best
De Zerbi's managerial story started shortly after he hung up his boots, taking a job with Italian amateurs Darfo Boario in 2013. He then took charge of third-tier side Foggia 12 months later and set his sights on guiding the minnows through the pyramid.
De Zerbi's two-year spell in charge of Foggia was a success. He won the Coppa Italia Lega Pro - the third tier's cup - and lost a promotion play-off to Pisa. That saw him get a chance in Serie A with Palmero, yet he was sacked after just 13 games at the helm.
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De Zerbi got another chance in Serie A in October 2017 when doomed Serie A side Benevento appointed him. The emerging manager's side were relegated - finishing 17 points from safety - but he was applauded for sticking to an adventurous style of play.
Sassuolo were particularly impressed and gave him their top job, which led to back-to-back eighth-placed finishes in Serie A. Again, it was De Zerbi's philosophy that caught the eye.
Sassuolo built slowly from the back and surged in attack. They were patient - waiting for an opportunity to pounce - and would press out of possession. Remind you of anyone? Guardiola, perhaps? If so, that's because De Zerbi adheres to his school of thought.
De Zerbi's admiration for Guardiola was clear after Manchester City's loss to Tuchel's Chelsea in the 2021 Champions League final. He told La Gazzetta dello Sport: "German football is tactically more advanced than the Italian one, but we read the games better.
"Tuchel is a great coach but I would rather lose the Champions League Final with Guardiola on the bench than win it with another coach. However, City won and dominated the Premier League with the best defence."
And the feeling is mutual. Guardiola and De Zerbi were pictured enjoying dinner together in August and the Man City boss has even suggested his contemporary was part of a tactical revolution in Italian football. That's not a claim you hear everyday.
"Nowadays in Serie A, you see the forwards get far more service and in more comfortable areas," said Guardiola. "Italian football will always have an element of defender and counter, because that's an aspect that is admired abroad and part of your culture.
"But with the revolution of Arrigo Sacchi and lately coaches like Maurizio Sarri and Roberto De Zerbi, there are teams who play the ball more and therefore also concede more."
De Zerbi's willingness to concede may alarm some Brighton fans, as Potter's side were difficult to break down. They leaked just 44 Premier League goals last season, four fewer than Arsenal in fifth, although they only scored 42 - the same amount as Leeds in 17th.
That being said, the fundamentals of Potter's and De Zerbi's philosophical beliefs are the same. They both want to see football played on the floor and entertain paying punters, which is undoubtedly one of the reasons why Brighton gave De Zerbi the job.
"I am absolutely thrilled Roberto has agreed to become our new head coach," said Brighton chair Tony Bloom. "Roberto’s teams play an exciting and courageous brand of football, and I am confident his style and tactical approach will suit our existing squad superbly."
A man of principle
Bloom and co will also have been impressed by how De Zerbi acted during his spell in charge of Shakhtar Donetsk. The Italian was appointed by Shakhtar in May 2021 but his time at the club was curtailed by Russia's abhorrent invasion of Ukraine in February.
De Zerbi initially refused to leave the under siege country and has continued to speak out against Vladimir Putin's war. "I am here to do sport and I could not turn my back on the fans," the manager said on the first day of the war before being forced to flee.
"There are 13 Brazilian players here and my staff. We could have returned home, but we preferred to wait. Last night we woke up to the noise of explosions. There are no heroes here, but our job puts us in front of responsibilities. We were supposed to play on Saturday, so I could not run away."
De Zerbi was also a critic of the Super League, a breakaway competition which tried to create a closed shop of elite European clubs. "I am so angry I spoke about this with the lads for 30 minutes yesterday," he said after the failed plan was announced in April 2021.
"Football belongs to everyone and is meritocratic. They released a statement at midnight with their new website. It was like putting their flags in a territory they had taken from someone else.
"It’s like the son of a labourer can’t dream of becoming a surgeon, a lawyer or a doctor. It’s as if they had told me as a kid in the schoolyard that the ball’s mine. I’m taking it. Football has a role in society that’s different from other sports."
De Zerbi is an unknown quantity in the Premier League - yet his story suggests he's an ambitious, honourable man who wants to emulate the great Guardiola. Only time will tell if he achieves that, but one thing is for sure - his Brighton team will excite us all.
