Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi could be the perfect successor to Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager.
That’s according to former Italian national team striker Paulo Di Canio. Speaking to Tuttosport about his countryman, Di Canio suggested that De Zerbi’s style of football would be a good fit at Anfield.
“For the type of game he develops, he could be Klopp’s possible heir to Liverpool in the future,” the 54-year-old simply said.
De Zerbi heading to Liverpool?
Right now, you’d have to say that it’s a little too early to start this kind of chatter. Steven Gerrard had long been slated as being Klopp’s ideal heir – and look what has happened to his management career.
It’s true that De Zerbi has a much better grounding in management than Gerrard, of course. The Italian coach is already leading the seventh senior club of his career. Most recently, he did a brilliant job at Sassuolo, before underwhelming a little at Shakhtar Donetsk.
Now at the helm of Brighton, he’s having a really, really good go at making the Seagulls European contenders.
But still, that isn’t enough to take over from one of the best manager’s of the last 20 years. De Zerbi will have to show that he’s capable of performing for a longer period than he currently has.
Having said all that, early signs at the Amex have been incredibly good. Klopp will know this all too well, having been beaten twice by De Zerbi and his team already in 2023. Throw in the 3-3 at Anfield during the 43-year-old’s first match in charge of Brighton, and it’s clear that he might well have Jurgen’s number.
Certainly, the football on offer on the South Coast is a style of play that Liverpool fans would like to see at Anfield. But with at least three more years of Klopp, it’s difficult to say just who will be in a position to take over when the time comes. Keep on at his current rate though, and De Zerbi may well be in the running.