“If you’re an outstanding coach people want to hold onto you” - pundit calls new Brighton boss De Zerbi a risk

Former Premier League manager and current pundit Graeme Souness has described the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi as the new Brighton & Hove Albion head coach as “a risk”.

The 69-year old was speaking as a guest on TalkSPORT when he highlighted that the Italian has now been in charge of seven different clubs in nine years - something he feels should be a concern for the Seagulls.

The South Coast side unveiled the former Shakhtar Donetsk manager as their chosen replacement for Graham Potter last week.

Here is what Souness said about the 43-year old and his appointment:

“If you’re an outstanding coach people want to hold onto you” - Souness calles De Zerbi appointment “a risk”

Souness, who had an outstanding playing career for the likes of Liverpool, Rangers, Scotland and more and won multiple league and cup trophies as a manager, was speaking on TalkSport’s ‘White & Jordan’ show when he made the comments about Roberto De Zerbi.

In the studio with former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan and Sky Sports ‘Transfer Deadline Day’ icon Jim White, Souness was typically straightforward in giving his opinion.

“I think it’s a risk,” he said.

“You’re bringing in someone who doesn’t know our game, because of modern technology you can Google and he said he was impressed with his knowledge of Brighton and what they’ve done - he could have got that off Google.”

Jim White then challenged his fellow Scot’s opinion, asking Souness if it was not De Zerbi’s business to know the game in England.

“He’s gone for an interview, so he spends a couple of hours on the internet getting as much information as he possibly can, that’s not the work of a genius,” replied Souness.

“I think it’s a risk bringing someone with his CV, seven jobs in nine years, in.

“If you’re an outstanding coach the people want to hold on to you, it’s a bit like being a player.

“If you’re a player who has had 12-15 clubs, that tells a lot about you.”

You can watch the pundit’s full comments on the new Brighton boss now on the TalkSPORT Twitter page.