What Burnley boss Vincent Kompany previously said about Brighton speculation as he's installed as second favourite to replace Roberto De Zerbi

The Seagulls have today confirmed the Italian will take charge of the team for the last time on Sunday when they face Manchester United.

In a club statement, Brighton said the decision was a “mutual agreement”.

De Zerbi first joined Brighton in 2022 and oversaw the club’s highest top flight finish during the 2022/23 season, before leading the club to the last 16 of the Europa League.

Despite his success on the South Coast, his departure doesn’t come as a huge surprise given the continued speculation surrounding his future.

The former Shakhtar Donetsk boss has been linked with a whole host of top jobs in recent months, while in April it was reported Brighton had already begun the process of identifying a potential replacement.

Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri claimed Kompany would be one possible name they could look to target and, as a result, the Clarets boss was quickly installed as the second favourite for the new vacancy with the bookies. He’s since drifted out, however.

Manager of recently promoted Ipswich Town, Kieran McKenna, tops the betting with Skybet, while the likes of Francesco Farioli, Graham Potter, Liam Rosenior and Ruben Amorim are also fancied.

Addressing the Brighton speculation last month prior to the game against Manchester United, Kompany gave little away – as he often tends to do whenever probed about his future.

“I never answer questions about my future, ever,” he said. “I’ve never done in the past and I won't do it in the future. It was a decision I made on the first day of my career.

“But one thing that is really important – we have four games. I work my socks off every single day. I don’t want to be out of this moment that we’re living right now. It’s too important. No distractions, only Burnley.

“Whatever amount of years [on my contract], no other thinking. Just try and do something special in the next few weeks if possible.”