Forget Kieran McKenna for Brighton - hand-selected Roberto De Zerbi recommendation is a better fit

On a weekend awash with fanfare and farewells, Roberto de Zerbi’s Brighton departure was a far meeker affair than most. Albion announced that the Italian manager would be leaving his job at the Amex Stadium shortly before their final fixture of the season, lost 2-0 to Manchester United and subsequently slipped into the bottom half of the table, and then suddenly, just like that, 19 months of promise came to an abrupt end. Think ‘Kirk van Houten at the cracker factory’.

De Zerbi leaves Brighton by mutual consent with his reputation inexorably altered for the better. Any candidate who had to follow Graham Potter’s mild-mannered heroics on the south coast was always going to face an unenviable task, but there is no denying that his successor more than exceeded the hype. Under De Zerbi, Albion ventured into European competition for the very first time, and while this season went off the boil somewhat, the Seagulls continue to fly high for a club of their relatively meagre means.

Now, of course, they find themselves on the hunt for a new manager once more, with the preferred option - or at least the one everybody is talking about - being Ipswich Town prodigy Kieran McKenna. The 38-year-old has strapped a rocket to the Tractor Boys in recent times, and successive promotions have catapulted the club back into the Premier League for the first time since 2002.

How cruel it would be, therefore, to have McKenna snatched away, but if various reports are to be believed, that is Brighton’s exact intention. Whether it actually happens, however, remains to be seen. The prospect of the former Manchester United coach jumping ship at this precise moment in time feels a little questionable, and as such, Albion may need to seek an alternative option.

Perhaps that alternative may come in the form of De Zerbi’s compatriot, Francesco Farioli. According to journalist Sam Cohen, the departing manager has personally recommended his fellow Italian as the man who Brighton should be looking to appoint this summer, and there is certainly a logic to his endorsement.

The 35-year-old, who was De Zerbi’s goalkeeping coach at Italian clubs Benevento and Sassuolo, led OGC Nice to fifth in the Ligue 1 table this season, and is widely regarded as one of the most precocious young managers in European football. Daring and distinct in his tactical identity, Farioli is attack-minded, deploying plenty of bodies in the final third while placing great emphasis on the relationship between his full-backs and wingers. His Nice side also boast the best defensive record in the French top flight this season, and at one point this term, they were the closest challengers to dethroning Paris Saint-Germain entirely. Impressive stuff.

What’s more, Farioli is expected to be on the move in the coming weeks. Up until recently, it has looked increasingly likely that he would be taking over at Dutch giants Ajax, but there are those who believe that Brighton could look to hijack his switch to the Netherlands at the eleventh hour. And perhaps they should.

With their Premier League status, their obvious potential, and their close connection to Farioli’s managerial mentor, you can certainly understand why Brighton would be a tempting proposition for the Italian. And the feeling, based on the early evidence of his career in the dugout, should absolutely be mutual.

If Brighton fail to land McKenna, they must be looking at Farioli instead. Hell, maybe they should even if McKenna is on the table.