Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi is a wanted man (Photo: Getty)
Graeme Souness says that while he admires Roberto De Zerbi, he isn’t certain that the Brighton boss is ready for an ‘elite job’ like Liverpool or Manchester United.
De Zerbi is one of the most sought after managers in the world right now having greatly impressed since taking the reins at the Amex in September 2022.
He finished sixth last season, qualifying the club for Europe for the first time ever, with the Seagulls currently eighth in the Premier League.
His attacking tactics are well-liked, though his side have struggled for form of late, winning just six of their last 22 league games, while they are set to knocked out of the Europa League after losing the first-leg of their last 16 tie against Roma 4-0.
Nevertheless, De Zerbi’s exploits have attracted many admirers, not least Liverpool, Barcelona, United and Chelsea.
He has been closely linked with the former two clubs who are both on the hunt for a new manager after Jurgen Klopp and Xavi announced that they would be stepping down at the end of the season.
But Reds legend Souness isn’t 100 per cent sold on the idea of the Italian moving to Anfield, though he’s sure he will be a top contender to replace Klopp.
Liverpool are searching for Jurgen Klopp’s replacement (Photo: Getty)
‘It’s the style of football he’s playing that makes him attractive and I enjoy watching them,’ the former Scotland midfielder told talkSPORT.
‘Graham Potter left them [Brighton] in a very healthy situation. You generally get a football management job because the roof is leaking and there’s problems.
‘The Brighton job at that time was a good job to take and I think he’s done well. They’ve hit the wall a bit but does that warrant him getting one of the elite jobs? I’m not so sure.
‘You look at Liverpool at the end of the season and you get that job, what a dream job that is.
Next Liverpool manager odds:
Xabi Alonso – 11/10
Ruben Amorim – 5/1
Pep Lijnders – 10/1
Roberto De Zerbi – 10/1
Julian Nagelsmann – 14/1
Thomas Tuchel – 14/1
Odds courtesy of Betfair
‘Will he be in the frame? Yeah, because of the brand of football he plays, that will be attractive to people.
‘Is [Xabi] Alonso the favourite? I believe he’s talking to Bayern Munich.’
As Souness mentions, Liverpool’s top choice to replace Klopp is club legend Alonso, but they face fierce competition to hire the Bayer Leverkusen boss from another one of his former clubs Bayern.
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Meanwhile, should anyone want to hire De Zerbi he would not come cheap, with reports suggesting Brighton want £12million in compensation for their manager.
They’d also have to convince the 44-year-old to leave the Seagulls as he is more than content at the Amex, recently stating: ‘I do what makes me happy and right now it is to be where I am.
‘I’m lucky now to be able to compete with these teams at this level to play these games. It makes me happy when we win but also when we lose, I feel something special.’
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