Lyon coach Pierre Sage has admitted he is not too surprised that Lens boss Franck Haise is attracting interest from Liverpool as a possible successor to Jurgen Klopp.
Liverpool’s owners Fenway Sports Group have a huge job on their hands in replacing Klopp, who will leave in the summer.
A host of candidates have been linked with the job, with Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso claimed to be the front runner at the moment.
Lens coach Haise, 52, has also been linked with the job, which has been greeted with surprise by some.
Lyon coach Sage though is not in that group as he is not shocked at Liverpool looking at Haise, especially when taking into account the way the Lens boss likes is team to play.
“I’ve seen it. I’m not too surprised”, Sage told a press conference when asked about Haise’s Liverpool link.
“In the intensity, the fact that they want to play forward, it’s pretty much in line with what Klopp and his staff are doing today.
“If that’s the case, and I hope it is, it would be an honour for him I imagine to go there.”
The Lyon boss feels Haise has been fearless in pushing his approach at Lens and deserves the interest, although he does not know if a move to Liverpool is what the French coach wants.
“He arrived with a lot of courage, he implemented some principles of play, they enabled him to win games, they enabled the club to qualify for the Champions League, so it’s perfect”, Sage explained.
“If the end result is to have contacts with a club of this stature, I’m very happy for him.
“Given what he has shown, he deserves it.
“Now, I don’t know if that’s what he wants. Maybe he is happy at Lens.”
Lens have Haise under contract until the summer of 2027, but may find it tough to keep hold of the coach if Liverpool do come calling.
Haise currently has Lens sitting sixth in Ligue 1, while they finished third in their Champions League group, dropping into the Europa League, where Freiburg put them out.
