Ansu Fati was rejected by Mauricio Pochettino, which allowed Roberto De Zerbi to sign the Barcelona star at Brighton, indicating a disparity in their assessments of talent.
Mauricio Pochettino spent just a season as Chelsea boss (Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
After a confrontation between Mauricio Pochettino and Roberto De Zerbi regarding transfer targets, the latter was able to acquire Ansu Fati.
During his one and only summer transfer window at Stamford Bridge, the former Chelsea manager went on a spending binge, splashing out on big-name players like Moises Caicedo for £100 million and Romeo Lavia from Southampton for £53 million.
Ansu Fati of Barcelona was a player that Chelsea could have acquired, but Pochettino’s disagreements caused the deal to collapse. Predicted to succeed Pochettino, De Zerbi wasted no time in acquiring the winger for Brighton, hailing him as an elite addition to the Premier League, according to the Mirror.
The young Spaniard was reportedly available for Chelsea to sign, but Pochettino passed on the chance, and the 21-year-old temporarily left Camp Nou to join Brighton for the 2023–24 campaign.
Given his prominence, Fati’s move to Brighton was unexpected, but De Zerbi expressed his happiness by stating, “I’m very pleased, it’s a big player,” in reference to Fati. “We needed one key player, and we lost Enciso. We are fortunate to have a large number of young players who have the potential to be elite players and will carry additional responsibility.
He said: “If you work with this talent, you have much responsibility because it’s our football heritage and we can’t make mistakes with these players because football needs this talent and you have to manage it in different ways.” manager.
The 44-year-old went on, “This is how I’ve always thought. I feel it is my duty to assist the really talented players in becoming outstanding players. Football requires exceptional players, but occasionally coaches are only concerned with their own performance and career goals. I am aware of how much responsibility this is. I believe that our aesthetic closely resembles his traits and attributes.”
Despite the excitement surrounding his signing, Fati struggled to establish himself in England, managing just four goals in thirty appearances across all competitions. Injury issues and a lack of consistency compounded his difficulties, and it is now anticipated that he will return to a Barcelona team led by Hansi Flick in the upcoming campaign.
