Ferdinand shares what Brighton players said about Spurs target De Zerbi

By Jordan Harris

Rio Ferdinand has told his YouTube channel that the way Danny Welbeck and Adam Lallana speak about Roberto De Zerbi reminds him of how Chelsea players spoke about Jose Mourinho – in comments which will certainly attract the attention of Tottenham Hotspur fans.

It is easy to forget just how terrible it appeared to be for the Seagulls when Graham Potter left earlier this season. And it seemed to be a real gamble to appoint De Zerbi.

One of Graeme Souness’ great takes this season came when he questioned Brighton’s decision to appoint De Zerbi on talkSPORT. But the Italian has absolutely silenced his doubters with the Seagulls continuing to fly in the Premier League this term.

Ferdinand lauds Tottenham manager target De Zerbi

And his work is not going unnoticed elsewhere in the Premier League. The Telegraph recently reported that Tottenham are admirers of De Zerbi amid questions over Antonio Conte’s future in North London.

Spurs face a huge decision if Conte ends up leaving in the summer, or further down the line. But the club hierarchy will take a lot of confidence from what Ferdinand has now said about the 43-year-old after speaking to a couple of Brighton players.

“I saw Welbs the other day, and Adam Lallana. 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 here at Chelsea,” he told his YouTube channel.

“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.”

Brighton will be braced for interest

It should come as no surprise that De Zerbi has proved to be an inspired choice of manager. Brighton have turned finding replacements for their key personnel into an art form in recent years.

They will be aware that De Zerbi is going to attract interest. And they will probably hope that that is the case as it shows what a good job he is doing.

It will be interesting to see what he will do if a club such as Tottenham do come calling. Clearly, the potential with Spurs is absolutely huge.

And it does appear, from the outside, that Conte and Tottenham may need to go their separate ways this summer.

So perhaps it may not be too long before we find out what De Zerbi would do if Tottenham do make an approach.