'He reprimanded me' – Brighton chief Paul Barber reveals the fiery side of outgoing boss Roberto De Zerbi

Albion chief executive Paul Barber reveals he and chairman Tony Bloom were surprised by the extent of Roberto De Zerbi’s passion during his time at the club.

De Zerbi parted company with the Seagulls yesterday after an eventful two seasons in charge. During that time the Italian head coach guided Brighton to sixth in the Premier League and qualification to the Europa League for the first time in their history.

The 44-year-old proved himself to be an excellent coach and motivator but his fiery nature at times tested and strained relations between himself, Barber and chairman Tony Bloom.

“Certainly by reputation we knew he set high standards and pushed people hard,” said Barber when asked if was surprised by De Zerbi’s approach. “When you first meet him and when he first walked into the room he has an aura about him and a sense of purpose and positivity. We were all a bit, wow… this is not a normal job interview. This is someone who has got something about him and will push us very hard.

"You saw from his first game at Anfield, we went 2-0 up and he was charging down the touchline. That’s the passion the fans have grown to love and internally everyday he would demand different things and more from each of us.

"He is first coach who has reprimanded me for talking about Top 10 and for keeping expectations calm. ‘No, no you must push higher,’ he would say.

"Normally the chief executives and chairman are looking to provide the coach with some cover, so expectations are tempered. But in his case he would be happy to push further and harder, quicker. That’s unusual. That is him. That is the personality, that is the man.”

Barber concedes it will be tough to replace a “top coach” but says the club do not put limitations on what can be achieved. “We’re realistic about the relative success we’ve had in the last couple of seasons,” said Barber.

“But we’re still ambitious and we don’t feel there’s a ceiling to what we can do. He is a top coach and someone that we knew a lot about before he came here.

“He more than met our expectations, particularly in the first season. He will be difficult to replace, for sure. We don’t wait for a coach to leave before we start work.

“Part of our process is to make sure we always know who the next coach might be. You can’t guarantee because you don’t know people’s circumstances at the time the incumbent coach leaves but we work really hard on our coach homework.”