![]() It’s interesting to note that, before the break for the World Cup, the league record under De Zerbi was two wins, two draws and four defeats (one point per game). ![]() ![]() The first protracted opportunity for De Zerbi to work on the training pitch with the players in the squad that didn’t take part in the World Cup in Qatar in November and December came during a coinciding camp in Dubai. Most importantly of all, Pedro will have the whole of pre-season to integrate with his new team-mates and De Zerbi’s methods, including Brighton’s involvement in the Premier League’s Summer Series tournament on the east coast of the US in late July with Chelsea, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Brentford and Fulham. If Brighton sell Caicedo and/or Argentina World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister in the summer, the fees they will attract (around £90million and £80million respectively) run the risk of inflating the price for other targets. It stops the risk of counter-persuasion from clubs across Europe that have been on his trail, headed by Newcastle United and AC Milan. ![]() In the case of Pedro, the advantages of swift business are three-fold. The rapid development of Japanese winger Kaoru Mitoma made it easier to let Leandro Trossard leave for Arsenal in January. Webster, for example, was bought primarily to succeed Shane Duffy, the Republic of Ireland central defender whose loan to Fulham was turned into a permanent transfer in January.Įcuadorian star Moises Caicedo was signed as the long-term midfield replacement for Yves Bissouma, who went to Tottenham last summer. It’s been Brighton’s strategy for several seasons, as they have grown, to get players through the door before they need them. We are delighted to announced that the club has agreed to sign forward Joao Pedro from Watford for undisclosed terms. They’re showing De Zerbi they will deliver for him in the same way he’s delivering for them.Ĭompleting the Pedro deal prior to the summer transfer window officially opening next month suits the needs of both Brighton and Watford. That’s why Brighton have gone to a level of transfer fee they wouldn’t normally - nearly £10million above the previous club record for central defender Adam Webster from Bristol City, one of Watford’s Championship rivals, in August 2019. He’s improving players and injecting extra belief in them as they joyfully exploit his risk-for-reward policy of playing out from the back with patience and precision. They are on the cusp of qualifying for Europe for the first time having just completed their first league double over Manchester United.Īlthough the first of those victories was under former head coach Graham Potter at Old Trafford on the opening day of the season, De Zerbi’s passion in pursuit of technical perfection has raised the bar at Brighton. It’s a sizeable statement of faith in what De Zerbi has brought to the club already, eight months into a four-year contract, and what Brighton believe he is capable of producing in the future. “Joao has been a long-term target,” says technical director David Weir. Pedro is a player De Zerbi was really keen on, according to a source at the club, who was granted anonymity to protect relationships.īrighton have been on the same wavelength. They have been emphatically put to bed by the capture of Pedro for just under £30million ($38m) on a five-year contract until June 2028. There were rumblings before and during the January transfer window that the club’s data-led recruitment model, which has so many admirers, threatened tensions if players De Zerbi likes do not correspond with Brighton’s own list of targets.
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