Everything Tottenham fans need to know about Roberto De Zerbi's Brighton contract

Conte left Tottenham by mutual consent after 16 months in charge, leaving them fourth in the Premier League table and out of all cup competitions.

The Italian was expected to leave the club following a volatile post-match press conference in what would turn out to be his final game in charge of the club.

Having drawn 3-3 with relegation-threatened Southampton, having at one point lead 3-1, Conte criticised the club’s culture and called his players “selfish”.

This result capped off a disappointing period for the club, after being knocked out of both the Champions League and the FA Cup to A.C. Milan and Sheffield United respectively.

Conte’s fellow countrymen De Zerbi is one of the names now linked with the Tottenham job, having impressed since taking over from Graham Potter at Brighton.

Julian Nagelsmann, Luis Enrique and former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino have also all been linked with the role.

Albion have won 10 of their last 16 games in all competitions under De Zerbi’s leadership. The club are currently in the race for Champions League football with Spurs, sitting seven points off them with three games in hand.

De Zerbi’s men also have the chance to claim the first piece of silverware in the club’s history, having booked their place in the FA Cup semi final, where they will face Manchester United at Wembley Stadium.

Albion’s impressive form has meant a lot of top clubs are reportedly interested in hiring Roberto De Zerbi, with some journalists suggesting the Italian has a £11.5m release clause in his contract.

However, this was dismissed by Paul Barber, after the Brighton chief executive told The Beautiful Game Podcast the club didn't use release clauses in its staff member’s contracts.

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Barber said: "No, we don't operate like that [with release clauses] and we try and avoid things like that because they become such a point of discussion and negotiation that you spend hours and hours on something that may not happen.

"Or if it does happen it may not be the right price at the right time. So we try and avoid things like that. We know other clubs use them, that's fine, but it's not something we tend to get involved with."

Earlier this month, De Zerbi himself downplayed links to other jobs, claiming that he was very happy to stay at Brighton for the foreseeable future.

The Brighton boss currently has a contract at the Amex Stadium until June 2026.

On March 10, he said: "We are happy because the people are speaking about our quality of play. But we have to be focussed on the next game. We have a clear focus and a clear target.

"For the players and for me, it is the same. We have a long contract here at Brighton I am happy to work here and enjoy working with these players. I cannot ask more and for me, it is a good moment for me and my life.”

Paul Barber added on the The Beautiful Game Podcast: "The more successful you are, the higher profile you get, the more scrutiny there is on you, the more likely people will look at your own staff and players and therefore look at them for their own clubs.

"We're aware of that, we're conscious of that but we certainly have no desire to see Roberto go anywhere for some time. But he's a hugely talented coach who, again a bit like Moises Caicedo, could go on to be whatever he wants to be. And he is still young, he's 43, and he's got a lot of time left in coaching to be that top coach.

"I think he really enjoys it here [at Brighton]. He is happy, he is really enjoying being part of the club and I think he is excited to see what he can get out of this squad. I think he believes there is more to come and we certainly hope he is right."