Adam Lallana has confessed that he wouldn’t be surprised if his current boss at Brighton, Roberto De Zerbi, was considered as Jurgen Klopp’s replacement at Liverpool, even though he doesn’t want him to go.
Lallana moved from the Reds to the Seagulls in 2020 and is now in his fourth season with Brighton having been in the squads which won the Premier League and Champions League under Klopp at Anfield.
De Zerbi’s first match as Brighton’s boss was a thrilling 3-3 draw against Liverpool at Anfield in October 2022. He then led the team to a sixth place finish, just five points behind Liverpool. Now, De Zerbi is being talked about as one of the possible replacements for Klopp, and Lallana says he totally gets why Fenway Sports Group might be thinking about the 44-year-old Italian.
“It wouldn’t surprise me,” said the former Liverpool midfielder when asked if De Zerbi could become Liverpool’s new boss. “I think all the clubs are looking at Roberto.
“In my eyes, he is one of the best coaches in the world. We will see. It’s like a domino effect with these managers at the moment, managers are always under pressure wherever you go. I don’t know if that puts you off going into that after, but that’s just the world we live in.”
Lallana also admitted his surprise when he found out about Klopp’s departure, saying that it felt just as big as when Steven Gerrard left the team during his time as a player.
“Although it probably makes sense, it gave me that feeling that something didn’t feel right,” Lallana told talkSPORT. “I had the same feeling the day it was announced Stevie was leaving Liverpool. I remember being at the club. That mammoth figure of the football is leaving and it’s strange.”
Lallana added that he hopes the announcement will spur Liverpool on to successes this season, just not the Europa League given Brighton’s presence.
“I’m really glad he can have four or five months to prepare for the exit,” he said. “He will get all the accolades he deserves. It might just give them that extra boost they might need to get another couple of titles – we just hope it’s not the Europa League.
“I think the squad for whoever takes the job is amazing. The transition from the era when I was there, when you’ve got Salah, Mane, Firmino, Henderson, Gini (Wijnaldum) – it’s a different Liverpool now. It’s exciting for whoever takes the job next, they can put their own stamp on it.”
