Brighton's technical director David Weir commented on new coach Roberto De Zerbi.

"It’s clear from his work at Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk that Roberto’s team are attacking teams and exciting to watch,” said Weir. “He’s adaptable and plays the sort of football that Brighton fans will enjoy watching.

“There’s no secrets in football now and Roberto has clearly done his homework on us and we have on him and I think it’s a really good fit.”

“Roberto clearly did a fantastic job at Sassuolo competing against some very big clubs in a tough league. So there are some similarities to what he did there and what we’re trying to do on a consistent basis.

“Expectation levels always go through the roof when a new head coach comes in. We know how far we’ve come and how fast and how difficult it is to maintain the progress we have made.

“But our fans are realistic, we’re in the toughest league in the world and we have to work hard to compete and maintain our position.”