Brighton hires former Shakhtar coach Roberto De Zerbi

BRIGHTON, England (AP) - Premier League club Brighton is hiring Roberto De Zerbi as its new head coach on a four-year contract.

The club said Sunday that the 43-year-old Italian agreed to the deal - which is subject to him being granted a work permit - after meeting owner Tony Bloom and other senior executives in London earlier this week. He replaces Graham Potter, who was hired by Chelsea earlier this month.

De Zerbi left Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk in July following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He also had stints with Sassuolo, Benevento and Palermo in Serie A.

'œRoberto's teams play an exciting and courageous brand of football, and I am confident his style and tactical approach will suit our existing squad superbly,'ť Bloom said in a statement.

With Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral being held Monday, De Zerbi will not be formally introduced to the media until Tuesday afternoon.

'œRoberto has shown his undoubted ability with his work in Italy and Ukraine, and what he achieved at Sassuolo certainly stands out," technical director David Weir said. 'œIn his short spell with Shakhtar he enjoyed further success, leading the club to cup success and topping the Ukrainian league before the war brought an abrupt halt to his time there.'ť

Brighton is fourth in the Premier League standings after a strong start under Potter, who was hired to replace the fired Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea.

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