Brighton and Hove Albion boss Roberto De Zerbi said that he would remain at the club beyond this season after speculation over his future.
The 44-year-old Italian has been linked with Liverpool – who are looking to appoint a new manager in the summer with the pending departure of Jurgen Klopp – and Barcelona.
De Zerbi, whose side are scheduled to play Fulham at Craven Cottage tomorrow (Saturday 2 March), told a press conference: “I have only Brighton in my head.
“I would like to finish the season in the best way with our young players – to compete and win as many games as we can.”
When pressed on whether he would remain in his current role next season, he added: “Yes. I have a contract. I have decided nothing. My focus is on Brighton – 100 per cent.”
Brighton are still in the hunt for back-to-back top-six finishes under De Zerbi, who signed a four-year contract when he replaced Graham Potter in September 2022.
The Seagulls will try to close the five-point gap between themselves and sixth-placed Manchester United. The Reds play Manchester City in a derby match on Sunday.
De Zerbi said that he was “very, very happy” confirming that teenage striker Evan Ferguson and defenders Tariq Lamptey and Joel Veltman would return to contention for the game at Craven Cottage.
They all missed the midweek FA Cup defeat at Wolves, as did the suspended Billy Gilmour, who will sit out the second game of a three-match ban after his straight red card in the recent home draw against Everton.
Brighton’s squad has been hit by a string of injuries this season, with the latest blow coming this week when it was confirmed that Japan winger Kaoru Mitoma would miss the rest of the season because of a back injury.
Danny Welbeck is available to play only “part of the game” tomorrow and De Zerbi will still be without Joao Pedro (thigh), James Milner (thigh), Solly March (knee) and Jack Hinshelwood (foot).
De Zerbi said: “This is part of football and we move on. We play better to win (Saturday’s) game. We want to keep this level on the table.
“The focus is to win the game and we have to play with fresh players.”
The Seagulls are scheduled to play at Roma next Thursday (7 March) in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie.
De Zerbi added: “I will change the side (at Fulham) but not because of Roma. We start to prepare for Roma on Sunday morning.”
