Roberto De Zerbi He insisted Brighton owner Tony Bloom Adam Lallana’s contract will be renewed amid concerns that the injured midfielder may not play again this season.
Former England international Lallana has missed Albion’s last four games after a 1-0 loss in Saturday’s Premier League. Fulham due to a leg issue that drew 2-2 with Leicester last month.
While the problem was worse than initially thought, the 34-year-old could have made his last game at Albion as his current contract expires this summer.
Yet despite fitness concerns, head coach De Zerbi is determined to keep a player he considers effective on and off the court.
“He may have finished the season,” said the Italian coach.
Bad news for us because he is one of the most important players. We can win without the man, but he is important to us.
“I definitely want Lallana by my side 100 percent. I’ve already spoken to Tony and told him to extend his contract.
The man not only helps me and the coaches, but also the young players. It’s very important on and off the field.”
De Zerbi had a frustrating weekend in the tunnel where he was shown a red card after an angry confrontation with full-time referee Darren England.
His emotions boiled over after watching Albion dominate against the counter-attacking Cottagers, when substitute Manor Solomon was hit with a late sucker’s punch that crashed his European football pursuits.
Defender Joel Veltman said the Seagulls must find a killer instinct to secure their continental qualifier after squandering a series of chances for the second consecutive fixture after a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace last weekend.
“We aim for this, we have the necessary qualifications,” said the Dutch pilot. “The club and the stadium with the fans around, the basics are there.
“We played 22 games, so we have to be humble and fight for every game. As long as we do this, maybe we are ready for Europe.
We want to fight for it, but we also know we’re in the Premier League with Chelsea and Liverpool behind us. It will be a tough match.
We were the better team against Palace and now we are losing. I’d rather have it that way than create no luck. We have to be killers.”
Fulham jumped Brighton to sixth place thanks to shooting and grabbing success at Sussex.
Fulham midfielder Harrison Reed said Marco Silva’s team is also looking for a place in Europe.
“We believe,” the 28-year-old said. “We play every game with the same mentality, we don’t think too far.
“We haven’t reached our scoreboard yet, so we have to keep pushing for it, I’m sure the manager will let you know when we do.”