‘Magical’ – Brighton young gun makes intriguing Roberto De Zerbi admission following January transfer move

The 19-year-old Sweden international left Allsvenskan club AIK to join the Seagulls – for a fee believed to be around £6m – on January 30.

Ayari signed a four-and-a-half-year deal that will keep the teenager in Sussex until June 2027.

He made his Brighton debut on March 19. The talented midfielder replaced FIFA World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister on 78 minutes during the Seagulls’ empathic 5-0 FA Cup quarter-final victory over League Two outfit Grimsby Town.

Ayari then made his Premier League debut on April 4, coming off the bench to play the final ten minutes of Albion’s 2-0 win at AFC Bournemouth.

Speaking to Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, Ayari said: “De Zerbi was the biggest reason I came here. I know that even if I don’t play, I will develop a lot in training.

“The short time I’ve been here, I feel like I’ve become a new player.

“[De Zerbi is] magical. The best manager in the world. When it comes to tactics, I’ve never seen anyone like him in my life.

“I’m the kind of person who studies football a lot. I have studied a lot of coaches and he is one of them.

“When it comes to small details, he can’t be compared to others.

“I’m a footballer who wants to play this way, and that was one of the big reasons I came here. For De Zerbi and Brighton.

“Brighton as a club is good at developing youngsters, and then De Zerbi was here playing the football I love.

“It is difficult in the Premier League. It is miles ahead [of the Allsvenskan]. But I think I’ve gotten into it quickly, and it’s been easy.”