Possible Barcelona, Bayern Munich target Roberto De Zerbi to leave Brighton: What's next for coach, Seagulls

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The coaching carousel around the world has been fascinating to follow with top clubs failing to secure their top targets but things may become clearer with Roberto De Zerbi entering the market following a mutual decision with Brighton as the manager departs at season's end. The Italian manager has been linked to the Bayern Munich job but as Barcelona and Manchester United could be other positions to open, he may have no shortage of suitors depending on what direction things go in.

De Zerbi led Brighton to their first European berth qualifying for the Europa League last season and has them on track for another top-half finish despite suffering numerous injuries along the way as well as selling several top talents. But good things must come to an end at some point.

"We have mutually agreed to end Roberto's contract at a time that suits both parties allowing us the earliest opportunity to plan for next season, and Roberto plenty of time to consider his next move and his future," Brighton chairman Tony Bloom said in a statement. "I am sure our fans will give Roberto and his staff a wonderful and fully deserved send off at the Amex before, during, and after tomorrow's match."

De Zerbi's final match overseeing the Seagulls will be a home clash against Manchester United where a win can keep them in the top half. As Bloom said in his statement, they are parting ways for De Zerbi to consider his own future while Brighton will also figure out who their new manager will be, but where could De Zerbi head to?

What's next for De Zerbi?

Known for his progressive attacking play, De Zerbi has many admirers around the world but the timing of this announcement is what's curious. On Friday, Thomas Tuchel announced that he wouldn't return as manager at Bayern Munich next season despite contract talks as the two sides couldn't reach an agreement. Finishing third in the Bundesliga for the first time since 2011, Bayern suffered a season without any silverware and are now looking a rebuild square in the face. De Zerbi could be the man to oversee it having improved every team that he has coached even with limited resources on the transfer market.

His style would translate well to Germany but expectations would also be quite high for the Italian as Bayern are expected to win every competition that they take part in. Another possibility could be Barcelona. While things are murky, there are reports that Barcelona may want to move in a different direction instead of keeping Xavi Hernandez for another season.

If that were to happen, there are limited mangers who would be available to Barcelona due to their finances and inability to pay buyout clauses. Now that he'll be free to negotiate his future during the summer, De Zerbi wouldn't be subject to such restrictions. This is also where his flexibility with recruitment and ability to improve young players becomes quite coveted as they could help Barcelona's limited funds go further during the summer.

Manchester United could also be looking at De Zerbi if they decide to move on from Erik ten Hag but if Barcelona or Bayern comes knocking, they would be much more appealing destinations.

What's next for Brighton?

In Graham Potter and De Zerbi, Brighton have shown that they can pluck undervalued managers and watch them improve while improving the team in turn. It's a hard feat to pull off consistently but Brighton have done their homework so far and it's fair to expect them to continue to do so. While Potter is still a free agent after rejecting an offer to take over Ajax, it doesn't feel like he would be the top choice to come back to the AMEX for a second spell in charge of Brighton. The Englishman is in a bit of a weird position after being let go by Chelsea and he could be a fallback option, but someone more realistic could be Will Still.

Leaving Reims at the end of the season, Still took the world by storm last season with strong performances leading the club despite not having his coaching badges but now he'll be moving on. Building up his reputation even more at Brighton could be a step before getting a bigger job similar to Potter and potentially De Zerbi.

Longer shot options are Keiran McKenna of Ipswich Town and Marcello Gallardo, former manager of Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia. McKenna is a great coach who uses a high pressure defense that suits Brighton but just winning promotion to the Premier League with the Tractor Boys, it will be hard to pry him free. Gallardo was expected to be in a top role after walking away from River Plate but that has yet to materialize. This could be a chance for it to happen due to Brighton's South American connections but it still doesn't feel likely.

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