Roberto De Zerbi sets the record straight on Brighton future amid AC Milan transfer links

Many Albion fans were concerned about the Italian’s comments following their 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace last week, with some believing he was hitting out at the club’s transfer policy of signing young, up-and-coming talent.

The 44-year-old said: “We have to accept the policy of the club is to play with many young players and you have to give them time to progress and to make mistakes. We have great potential players but they are not great players yet.

"[Carlos] Baleba is perhaps not ready to play in the Premier League yet but he will be a great Premier League player. The policy of the club, and the secret of our club, is to develop those players who are not there yet. That is my job."

Since then, the former Shakhtar Donetsk boss, whose contract at the Amex runs until 2026, has reportedly emerged as an option for AC Milan next season, with Stefano Pioli’s long-term future up in the air.

However, ahead of Brighton’s clash against Tottenham on Thursday, De Zerbi, who has previously been linked with Real Madrid, has clarified those comments in a way that should reassure Albion fans.

"I said what I think, what is the truth. But I love working in this club, with this policy and, while I enjoy it, I accept to work like this. It is an honour for me and nothing changed. But, if you ask me any question, I usually answer with the truth, my truth. I don’t love speaking in a different way,” he said on Wednesday.

“I am very happy because I am working a lot. I am working more than last season and I am improving a lot. When there are a lot of problems, we have to work better and harder. And so I am changing something on the pitch.

“I have to think better and in a different way because I have to respect the characteristic of the players and I have to find the balance with the ball, without the ball, in defensive space, in pressure, in the build-up – keeping the idea because I can’t change my idea, I can’t change my DNA.”

That does not sound like a manager who is eager to leave the club, despite the offers that are likely to come his way in the future.