Tony Bloom knows the sort of passion and enthusiasm with which Roberto De Zerbi would have sold Albion to Ansu Fati.

He comes across the same when they chat about player recruitment.

It appears De Zerbi does not always get what he wants.

But Bloom says, as with previous managers and head coaches, he and the Italian can see each other’s point of view.

The Albion chairman has taken time to assess his working relationship with his latest head cach.

He told The Argus: “Roberto is extremely passionate.

“Generally he is even more passionate with anything to do with footballers and football.

“So yes, we have passionate conversations as you would imagine.

“Recruitment can be complicated. It’s not all about one person or one season.

“When it comes to recruitment, we have to look at the here and now of this season’s first team squad, we are looking at maybe some younger players who maybe go into the first team squad but perhaps will be more major players later, players we buy who may go on loan or into the under-21s, and there is obviously the academy underneath that.

“In terms of head coach, typically they are looking at this season and that is what you would want them to do.

“Some head coaches might look a year or two beyond that if they are confident in their job.

“But not many are looking much beyond that.

“It is the club’s job to always look beyond that as well “From my point of view, it is always about the here and now, that is the priority.

“But it’s what is going on in the medium term, in two to four years’ time, is also really important, and also the five-to-ten year horizon. From my point of view, it’s about everything.

“We have got marry those things up and understand each other’s situation.

“I have always had a good relationship with head coaches to understand that.”

The days of Albion having more loan players than they were actually allowed to name in a matchday squad are a long time ago now.

But they went unusually short-term when Ansu Fati signed just a few days after Julio Enciso was injured.

It showed another side to the club’s recruitment work.

Bloom said: “When it comes to recruitment of players across the board, from the academy to investment players to players straight into the first team, there is an element of flexibility and circumstances.

“You don’t always know if a player is going to get sold or be injured.

“You have to be able to react quickly.

“Ansu Fati was a player we wouldn’t have even considered.

“He is a Barcelona player, he is a world star but it just happened in those last few days of the window.

“There was talk of him potentially being sold or loaned out.

“But he started the season with Barcelona but I think he didn’t have that many minutes.

“Between Barcelona and Ansu and his advisors they thought going out on loan was a good thing.

“We were a player short given how many competitions we were going to play in and it just fell into a situation that we could do.

“It is obviously expensive, not the sort of thing we would normally do, but it’s a loan, it’s somebody who is very special and who could do some amazing things for this football club this season.”

De Zerbi is understood to have called Ansu five times and spoken to him in good Spanish.

When the player arrived at Lancing, the coaching staff all went out to greet him one by one.

Bloom said: “Roberto spoke with the player and I think he is very persuasive.

“He made it clear to the player how much he wanted him and how much difference he could make to Brighton and Hove Albion for this season.

“It certainly makes sense to me that Roberto ‘s influence would have made a big difference.”

With the exception of Sami Hyypia, Bloom has a great record when it comes to choosing managers.

There is even an argument from some that Hyypia had good ideas and would have got it right given more time and better player recruitment.

Gus Poyet was handed his first role as manage rather than assistant.

Oscar Garcia, Hyypia and De Zerbi were all given their first jobs in English football.

Graham Potter was untried in the Premier League.

All taught Albion players and fans alike something they did not know about the way the game is played.

Chris Hughton was a very safe and traditional pair of hands who did exactly what was required and then a bit more.

But, Hughton apart, all the appointments felt like they had a degree of risk.

Is that the Bloom way – a new manager or head coach being a chance to go in a new direction (totally or slightly) and gamble a little?

He said: “I don’t think of it that way.

“Any decision we take in life, there are risks and rewards and we weigh them up.

“I’m not deliberately taking a risk or doing something that is not being talked about in the mainstream media.

“Particularly when it comes to a head coach appointment, in conjunction with Paul Barber and David Weir, we are trying to look at everything.

“There are positives and concerns about any appointment.

“In an ideal world you want to get one of the world’s best coaches who has managed in the Premier League, who can speak very good English and who can do many things.

“But you have got to weigh up what are the most important things and weigh up the risks involved to come to the best decision.

“When it came to hiring Roberto, we didn’t have too many on the short list and he certainly came in front and he was available and, when we met with him, the rapport was really good so it became an easy decision.”