The Athletic have revealed that Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi, who has been linked with the Tottenham job, has a release clause of just £11m in his contract.
De Zerbi has had a transformative effect on Brighton since replacing Graham Potter at the helm back in October of last year, with the Seagulls having sealed a seventh-place finish and the European football that comes with it.
The Athletic now reveal that while the Italian has indeed been on Tottenham‘s wishlist, the North London club have never made a concrete effort to snap him up.
The publication questions why it is that Spurs have ‘looked the other way’ and ‘stayed at arm’s length’ from De Zerbi, suggesting that the price could not have been the reason.
This is because the compensation package to sign the 43-year-old would only cost around £11m, which is said to be less than what Feyenoord were demanding for Arne Slot.
The Athletic go on to state that it could be the Brighton boss’ temperament and his reputation for being ‘high-maintenance’ that may have put off the Tottenham hierarchy.
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It has been clear right from the start that De Zerbi would be the best candidate for the job.
I suspect that Tottenham had indeed reached out to the Italian through intermediaries but were informed that he wants to stay put at the Amex Stadium, which is why they turned their attention to other targets.
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