Brighton Latest News: De Zerbi still believes that two of his key players, Mac Allister and Caicedo, might leave the club this summer
Brighton & Hove Albion have accepted that they will lose two of their top players during the upcoming off-season, despite having their best-ever season in the top-flight and qualifying for the Europa League.
The team’s manager, Roberto de Zerbi, has stated that Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo, who were the standout midfielders this season, are expected to depart. He also emphasized that the club’s philosophy is centered around discovering young talent for the first team.
“They (the two players) deserve to change the level of team and competition, we have to be happy for them,” De Zerbi said after Brighton’s final day 2-1 loss at Aston Villa on Sunday.
“We are Brighton and our policy is to help the young players to progress, we can’t keep our best players. That is right, it is our mentality and we have to find more young players.
“It is incredible for us to be in the Europa League, but we deserve it. Now we analyse the squad, we have to improve and build a stronger squad with more players.”
Mac Allister, who won the World Cup with Argentina, played the entire game against Villa and it is likely to be his last game for the club. Caicedo, who is from Ecuador, came on as a substitute in the second half. In January, Arsenal made two offers to buy Caicedo from Brighton, but they were rejected. Caicedo requested to leave, but then signed a new contract until 2027. Although Brighton lost the game, they played well and could have gotten a better result, as they troubled a Villa team that had won their previous six home games.
“There is disappointment today, it’s always bad to lose a game, but the season was fantastic. I am sorry it is over, but we will start stronger next season,” De Zerbi said.
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