Total Disaster at Chelsea as Thier top target De Zerbi has rejected the offer to become Chelsea manager this morning

Mauricio Pochettino’s quarrel with Roberto De Zerbi led to the outgoing Brighton manager signing Ansu Fati last year.

The former Chelsea manager departed the club after one season, during which he made a spate of big-money acquisitions, including a £100 million agreement for Moises Caicedo and a £53 million purchase of Romeo Lavia from Southampton.

One of the prospective moves that did not go through at Chelsea was for Barcelona winger Ansu Fati. Pochettino plainly disagreed with the guy who may replace him, as De Zerbi eventually brought him to Brighton, thinking him a top-tier Premier League player.

According to The Athletic, the Blues were offered the option to sign the Spaniard, but Pochettino turned it down. Instead, the 21-year-old left the Camp Nou to play the 2023/24 season with Brighton.

Given Fati’s great status, his appearance in Brighton came as a surprise to the football world, as the Italian manager raved about the Spain international after signing him for a season.

“I’m really thrilled; it’s a major player,” De Zerbi said of Fati. “We lost Enciso, and we needed one major player. We are fortunate to have a large number of young players who have the potential to be elite players, and this will add another degree of responsibility.

“If you deal with this talent, you have a lot of responsibility because it’s our football legacy. We can’t make mistakes with these players because football requires this potential, and you have to handle it in different ways.”

The 44-year-old said, “I’ve always thought like this. I have a specific obligation to assist the large, big talent develop into great players. Coaches may focus solely on the outcome, or their own career, but football need outstanding players. It’s a large duty, and I feel it. I think our approach is quite similar to his attributes and qualities.”

It didn’t work out in England, with Fait scoring only four goals in 30 appearances across all competitions after battling with injuries and form. He is now anticipated to return to the Barcelona team led by Hansi Flick next season.

De Zerbi, meanwhile, might inherit Pochettino’s Chelsea team, with the Italian among the favourites to be named the club’s new manager. Current Leicester boss Enzo Maresca and Brentford’s Thomas Frank are also being considered.