De Zerbi 'delivered more than we thought possible'

Roberto de Zerbi's departure from Brighton was announced on Saturday afternoon

Brighton & Hove Albion fans say they are shocked by the timing of the announcement of head coach Roberto de Zerbi's departure.

Club chairman Tony Bloom broke the news on the eve of the the team's final Premier League match of the season at home to Manchester United on Sunday.

Paul Samrah, a lifelong fan who campaigned to get the club's stadium built, said while the move had been "expected" he thought the "mood music had changed" and De Zerbi would stay.

Mr Samrah told BBC Radio Surrey: "I'm very surprised. The one small consolation for Brighton fans everywhere is that we can applaud Roberto tomorrow at the final home match."

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He said fans would be asking who could "fill the void" left by the 44-year-old, who joined the Seagulls in September 2022 on a four-year contract.

Brighton finished sixth last season, with the club’s highest ever top-flight finish securing European qualification for the first time in their history.

They are 10th in the Premier League before their final game on Sunday and can finish no higher in the table.

"But it's the way it goes in football, you never know what's around the corner," Mr Samrah added.

"He's a quality manager and he's delivered over and above what we all thought was possible."

The BBC's Albion commentator said De Zerbi would be a "difficult act to follow"

Brighton fan Daniel said he was "shocked at the timing" but not surprised by the move.

"The signs were there for me in recent weeks," he said, adding that he had hoped De Zerbi would stay.

Daniel said he was "thankful" that the announcement was made ahead of the final game of the season "so we can give him a proper send-off".

'Best football'

Kieran Maguire, a football finance expert and lifelong Brighton fan, said the timing seemed "very strange" and that he believed there had been a "fallout" between De Zerbi and the club's management.

"I've been watching the Albion for over 50 years and without a doubt it's been the best football I've seen in all of that time," he said.

BBC Albion commentator Johnny Cantor said rumours that De Zerbi could be headed to other clubs, including Liverpool, Manchester United and Bayern Munich "may have not helped the cause".

He added that Brighton would already have a list of names, "not just for the next manager, but for the next manager after that".

De Zerbi "will be a difficult act to follow, there's no doubt about it," he said.