Lallana and Welbeck believe De Zerbi “the one”
Throughout their stellar careers, Adam Lallana and Danny Welbeck have worked with some of the best managers in football history – and yet they believe Roberto De Zerbi to be “the one”.
Former England defender Rio Ferdinand made the claim on his FIVE YouTube Channel as part of a show alongside Patrice Evra.
Ferdinand also compared the impact that De Zerbi has had on the Brighton squad to when Jose Mourinho first bowled into Chelsea and delivered silverware galore.
“I saw Welbz the other day and Adam Lallana,” Ferdinand said. “And the way they spoke about this guy, I’ve never seen them speak about a manager like that. The last time I saw a player speak about a manager like this was when Mourinho was at Chelsea.”
“But, De Zerbi, they’re saying he is the one. The detail he puts in, the players going on the pitch know exactly what they’ve got to do, can change stuff up, making players feel a million dollars.”
The comments came after Brighton had ripped West Ham United apart at the Amex, delivering arguably their best performance of the campaign so far.
Welbeck scored the fourth and final goal after coming on as substitute but Lallana remains on the sidelines with a long-term injury which may mean he does not play again this season.
The former Liverpool midfielder is out of contract in the summer. De Zerbi has already made his feelings publicly known on whether a new deal should be offered, saying he has told Tony Bloom he wishes to keep Lallana at the Amex.
Between them, Welbeck and Lallana can count greats like Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, Jurgen Klopp, Louis van Gaal, Fabio Capello, Mauricio Pochettino and Nigel Adkins as managers they have worked under.
For them to hold De Zerbi in such high esteem is testament to the ability of the Albion’s charismatic head coach, whose infectious enthusiasm has rubbed off almost as much on Brighton fans as it has players.
De Zerbi has taken the Seagulls onto another level, building on the good work done by Glow Up Graham Potter. Whereas Potter’s Seagulls often struggled for goals, Brighton under De Zerbi have become one of the most free scoring, attacking teams in the Premier League since the winter break.
The Albion are subsequently striving for a top seven finish and European football for the first time. The belief amongst the players is that De Zerbi could even carry them into the top four, with Moises Caicedo saying after signing a new long-term contract that the Champions League is the aim.
Brighton are also eyeing up a first piece of major silverware (excluding the 1910 Charity Shield of course) in their history via the FA Cup.
Victory over League Two side Grimsby Town in the quarter finals at the Amex will send the Seagulls to Wembley for a big semi. From there, Brighton are just two wins away from Lewis Dunk lifting the famous trophy under the arch.
A helpful draw avoiding either Manchester United or Manchester City would help matters, but even if the Albion were to face one of the European Super League Elite Six they should not be scared. Brighton have already proven that on their day, they can beat any team in the country.
Call it the De Zerbi Effect; Lallana and Welbeck would, and they know a thing or two about football. Roberto is the one.
