“I’m not so sure” - Graeme Souness feels Premier League manager isn’t ready to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool
Liverpool legend Graeme Souness has said that Brighton & Hove Albion manager Roberto De Zerbi is not yet ready to be considered a possible replacement for Jurgen Klopp.
A host of names have been linked with the imminent vacancy at Anfield, with Klopp leaving at the end of the season. Xabi Alonso is reportedly top of the pile, but De Zerbi is also one of the options.
Souness admitted that he loves to see the kind of football Brighton play under De Zerbi but is not sure whether the Italian has done enough to attract interest from the biggest clubs, telling talkSPORT (as quoted by Liverpool World):
"It's the style of football he’s playing that makes him attractive, and I enjoy watching them. Graham Potter left them in a very healthy situation. ... they’ve hit the wall a bit, but does that warrant him getting one of the elite jobs? I’m not so sure."
He added:
"You look at Liverpool at the end of the season, and you get that job, what a dream job that is. Will he be in the frame? Yeah, because of the brand of football he plays, that will be attractive to people."
De Zerbi joined Brighton in September 2022 after Chelsea snapped Graham Potter up from the Seagulls. The Italian led them to a historic sixth-placed finish, guiding them to Europe for the first time.
Jurgen Klopp proud of Liverpool for 'grity' draw with Manchester City
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp sent a strong message to Arsenal and Manchester City following the 1-1 draw against the Cityzens at the weekend.
The Reds were arguably the better side but had to settle for a 1-1 draw to drop to second in the standings, trailing the Gunners on goal difference. Klopp said that his side would give their everything to go all the way, as quoted by the Reds' website:
"We are this gritty, annoying pain you will not get rid of. That's the idea. In our situation, we cannot now run away from other teams.
"Arsenal are in incredible shape, the last five or six games I saw them, which were outstanding, they played pretty much exactly the same lineup. We just have to fight through to be there."
Only one point separates the top three in the enthraling title race. Arsenal are top of the table with 64 points after 28 games, while Manchester City are third, just a point behind.