[3] On 8 February 2010, Napoli announced his loan transfer to Romanian Liga I club CFR Cluj, with the deal being made permanent on 31 August 2010 on a three-year contract.
[4][5] On 6 September 2016, De Zerbi was named head coach of Serie A club Palermo following Davide Ballardini's departure by mutual consent due to disagreements with the board.
[citation needed] After a penalty shootout elimination in a home match against Serie B club Spezia, De Zerbi was sacked on 30 November 2016, and replaced with former team captain Eugenio Corini.
[8] Despite the side being relegated back to Serie B at the end of the season, De Zerbi was praised for his possession-based, attacking football and transfer business.
[17] De Zerbi succeeded Graham Potter as head coach of Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion on 18 September 2022, signing a four-year contract.
[18] He managed his first game in England on 1 October, in a 3–3 away draw at Liverpool with Leandro Trossard becoming the first Brighton player to score a Premier League hat-trick.
[19] De Zerbi lost his first game at Brighton's Falmer Stadium on 9 October, calling his players "fantastic" despite the 1–0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
[21] De Zerbi went three games unbeaten against Liverpool in his debut campaign at Brighton, including beating them as defending champions in the FA Cup fourth round on 29 January 2023.
De Zerbi was shown a red card for complaining that he had lost time to prepare for the match due to a refereeing meeting during the week.
In a post-match interview, he said the "level of refereeing in the Premier League is very bad", whilst also criticising Darren England for not having a "good attitude".
Following a 1–1 home draw against Sheffield United on 13 November, a match in which De Zerbi received a yellow card for his conduct on the touchline, he was critical of the performance of referees in England, stating: "I am honest and clear.
"[41] Brighton's league form under De Zerbi, after a strong start consisting of five wins in their first six games, became inconsistent as 2023 drew to a close, throughout which the squad endured several injuries to key players.
By December 2023, ten Brighton players were unavailable due to injury, including forwards Kaoru Mitoma, Simon Adingra, Solly March, Ansu Fati and Julio Enciso, as well as defenders Pervis Estupiñán, Tariq Lamptey, Adam Webster and Joel Veltman.
De Zerbi expressed frustration towards Brighton's January 2024 transfer window activity, with the club's only first-team signing being of 19-year old Argentine defender Valentín Barco.
On progression in Brighton's debut European campaign, De Zerbi commented: "We will prepare for the rest of the Europa League in the same way – with our passion, our ideas, our attitude and pride.
"[51] This followed a 1–0 home victory over Aston Villa, which left Brighton eleventh in the Premier League table, with the club having fallen out of contention for European qualification, following a series of prior defeats in 2024.
[52] On 18 May 2024, Brighton & Hove Albion announced that they had reached a mutual agreement with De Zerbi to terminate his contract following the conclusion of the 2023–24 season.
"[53] De Zerbi's public discontent surrounding Brighton's recruitment strategy was cited as having contributed towards the "irreconcilable differences", which had formed between him and the club's hierarchy.
[55][56] De Zerbi has developed a reputation for playing an attacking–minded possession-based style of football, focusing heavily on shorter build-up from the goalkeeper rather than quick counter-attacks.
[58] The style of play produced by De Zerbi's teams has been praised by some of his peers, including Spanish head coach Pep Guardiola citing him as "one of the most influential managers in the last 20 years".