Roberto De Zerbi responds to latest Juventus link and makes Max Allegri claim

Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Roberto De Zerbi was previously linked with Serie A giants Juventus

De Zerbi is well-respected across Serie A following his impressive work at Sassuolo and his name was regularly mentioned when Juventus were considering parting company with Max Allegri earlier this season.

As it turned out, De Zerbi was head hunted by Brighton – who needed a new manager after Graham Potter left for Chelsea last September – and Juventus stood by Allegri.

De Zerbi has made a solid start to life in the Premier League at Brighton and has overseen a 3-3 draw at Liverpool, a rousing 4-1 win against Potter's Chelsea and an impressive away Carabao Cup win at Premier League leaders Arsenal.

The Italian will hope to continue Albion's push for a European spot after the World Cup break when they resume their campaign at Southampton on Boxing Day.

“Juventus is one of the most important clubs in Italy," said De Zerbi, via Tuttojuve. "But it doesn’t seem right to me to talk about another club at the moment. Among other things, there is also a coach (Allegri) on the bench with whom I have a very good relationship.

“I always say that in this type of situation it takes two to want it, then in general, before accepting an assignment, I need to feel followed by the team.”

De Zerbi has enjoyed his introduction at Brighton and is settling into life on the south coast have been forced to leave his previous position at Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk following the Russian invasion.

“It has been a very important period for me and my staff and after the [Aston Villa] game [last Sunday] I thanked the players because in this period they were fantastic, as were all the people in the club.

“I’m very happy with the first few weeks but not for the Villa result or our place on the table. I want to start the next period of the season with the same passion and energy and attitude,” he added. “We can improve and we will. We need to improve in anticipating the situation [in games] – we have to stay alive and alert – but I’m positive we can go higher up the table.”