The 25-year-old had started 59 of the previous 60 Premier League games for Albion, nailing down the number one spot and earning a call-up the Spanish national squad.
However, De Zerbi decided to hand the gloves to Jason Steele for his first Premier League start this season.
The 32-year-old had been Brighton’ reliable cup goalkeeper for the past three seasons, but may now be given a chance as the first-choice keeper, after De Zerbi claimed he was more suited to the Italian’s style of play.
De Zerbi said: “You have to be honest and clear and Jason now is playing better than Robert.
“Robert is playing well but Jason was fantastic in build-up, for example, in my style.Maybe he is closer than Roberto to my style. But I think Robert can work to arrive at the same level.
“Okay, there are different characteristics, I understand, but Robert is a good guy and I think he will want to improve in this aspect.”
This got us thinking about famous goalkeeping pairs that had represented Premier League clubs down the years.
Here is a selection of some of the best rivalries for the number one jersey….
1. Manchester United - Fabien Barthez/Roy Carroll/Tim Howard (2003-2005)
One of the major reasons why Manchester United only won one Premier League title in five years in the early 2000s was Sir Alex Ferguson's inability to replace the imperious Peter Schmeichel in goal. Fabien Barthez, Tim Howard and Roy Carrol were all given opportunities to make their position theirs, but each one made a number of errors that prevented United from being the all-conquering side they once were. The signing of Edwin Van Der Sar in 2005 brought an end to the goalkeeping circus at Old Trafford, much to the disappointment of rival fans. Photo: John Peters
2. Manchester United - David de Gea/Anders Lindegaard (2011/2012)
David De Gea will go down as one of the all-time great Manchester United and Premier League goalkeepers. However, his journey to brilliance was not an easy one, as the Spaniard faced a baptism of fire after joining the Red Devils from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2011. His poor form offered an opportunity for his Anders Lindegaard to push for a starting spot, being given the goalkeeping jersey for a number of Champions League games. The pair would work well United's 2012-2013 title winning campaign, with De Gea starting 28 league games and Lindegaard the other ten. Photo: John Peters
3. Liverpool - Simon Mignolet/ Loris Karius (2017/2018)
Before Liverpool signed Allison in 2018, they shared out their main goalkeeping responsibilities to two shot-stoppers. Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius were both subject to criticism in the 2017/2018 season, but helped Jurgen Klopp's side to a fourth place finish in the league and the club's first Champions League final in 13 years. Unfortunately, it was Karius' goalkeeping errors that lead to them losing that final in Kiev and the eventual signing of Allison. Photo: PAUL ELLIS
4. Tottenham - Brad Friedel/Hugo Lloris (2012/2013)
Many assumed that talented goalkeeper Hugo Lloris would walk straight into the Tottenham first-team after signing for the club in the summer of 2011. However, this was not the case, as the then 41-year-old Brad Friedel continued to shine in goal for Spurs. This left head coach André Villas-Boas no choice but to keep his new signing on the bench for the first few months of the season. Friedel would later go on to be a coach for now-captain Lloris and the pair continue to work together in North London. Photo: AFP