Brighton & Hove Albion boss Roberto De Zerbi opted to keep his counsel today when asked about whether he has ambitions of becoming Liverpool’s new manager.
The Italian, who is yet to agree a new deal with the Seagulls is considered one of the frontrunners to succeed Jurgen Klopp, who will be stepping down as Liverpool’s manager at the end of the current season.
Klopp’s trusted assistants, Pepijn Lijnders and Peter Krawietz, along with elite development coach Vitor Matos, are also set to depart their roles at the end of the season. Lijnders is said to be exploring opportunities in football management.
During his pre-match press conference earlier today, De Zerbi emphasised that his focus remains on Brighton for the remainder of the campaign.
“No. There is no news about my contract but my focus is just on the last part of the season. “We are going to compete in an historic part of the season,” said the 44-year-old when asked about whether there is an update on Brighton contract talks.
“We want the same target of last season [sixth in the Premier League] and we want the Europa League and the FA Cup. My eye is on that.”
He added: “You need energy. You have to push every day. You have to keep behaviour to improve every day. You can’t stop your improvement and studying the game and new coaches, development.
“If you don’t work with the right energy you lose everything. I like him because of his energy, character… are great. If he changes country or league it is not a good thing.”
De Zerbi’s contract with Brighton will expire in 2026.
Several managers have been linked with the soon-to-be vacant job at Liverpool including Steven Gerrard, Julian Nagelsmann, Ange Postecoglou, Ruben Amorim, and Xabi Alonso who has been tipped to replace Klopp after stellar one-and-a-half seasons in charge of Bayer Leverkusen.
Alonso has neither confirmed nor ruled out the possibility of managing Liverpool in the future. The ex-Liverpool midfielder said: “Speculation is normal.
“What Jurgen has done in Liverpool I have a lot of respect for and great admiration for what he has done over the last few years.
“He’s achieved a lot. My focus is here at Bayer Leverkusen. I have a lot of motivation to do good work here.
“I’m very content and happy with the team and the club. So that is my focus.
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