Sacchi explains why De Zerbi ideal for Barcelona or Liverpool but blames Serie A clubs | OneFootball

Legendary Italian coach Arrigo Sacchi feels Roberto De Zerbi would be an ideal choice for Barcelona or Liverpool but is upset that no top Serie A club will try to get him.

De Zerbi has emerged as a potential replacement for Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool and Xavi at Barcelona given that both coaches will leave their clubs at the end of the season.

He is under contract at Brighton until June 2026 but has a €13m clause included in his deal with the Premier League side. Sacchi, a former Italy and Milan coach, has explained why the Italian tactician would be ideal for either Liverpool or Barça.

“I am glad to see De Zerbi linked to top European clubs such as Barcelona and Liverpool,” Sacchi wrote in an article published by La Gazzetta dello Sport on Wednesday.

“I consider him the most exciting coach of the last generation, so I feel he is ready to sit on an important bench. Actually, I am sorry that no Italian club, based on transfer rumours, will try to get him. The same happened a few years ago when he first went to Ukraine and then England. Now, it would be a shame not even to try to get him, even if it would not be easy to battle Barcelona and Liverpool.

“De Zerbi is one of those coaches who make players improve,” Sacchi continued.

“I’ve known him for many years. One day, he called me to ask if we could meet to talk about football. He was the Foggia boss at that time and I was impressed. His Foggia side looked like a Spanish team. Ball possession, high pressing, domination of the pitch. I was a friend of the Squinzi family and the director Giovanni Carnevali, so I called them to say: ‘This is the right coach for you.’ They didn’t reach an agreement straight away. It took over a year to shake hands, but in the end, it was beneficial for both the club and De Zerbi.”

RDZ spent three seasons at Sassuolo, winning 43 of his 120 games in charge of the Neroverdi. He left the Mapei Stadium in 2021 to join Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine, but he only remained there for a few months until the Russian invasion.

De Zerbi officially left Shakhtar in the summer of 2022 and was appointed by Brighton the following September, but Sacchi feels the 44-year-old should have been given another chance in Serie A.

“De Zerbi is a guy with a precise concept. He wants to innovate, go beyond the present and he wants to find different solutions for the future,” he said.

“I ask myself: why is such a young coach forced to emigrate to reach great targets? The reply, to me, is that Italy is an old country in footballing terms, and whoever brings new ideas is always seen negatively.”