Liverpool sacked Arne Slot and have a small shortlist of managers they want to succeed the Dutch head coach
Man City stay Rayan Cherki worked alongside Liverpool-linked Pierre Sage during their time at Lyon.
Man City stay Rayan Cherki worked alongside Liverpool-linked Pierre Sage during their time at Lyon.(Image: (Photo by Philippe Lecoeur/FEP/Icon Sport via Getty Images))
View 2 Images
Manchester City star Rayan Cherki says Liverpool-linked head coach Pierre Sage is a 'genius' as the Reds search for a successor to Arne Slot. The Liverpool hierarchy are looking for a replacement for the Dutch head coach, after sacking the 47-year-old after two seasons at Anfield.
Slot won the Premier League title in his first year in charge, but Liverpool finished last season in fifth place and only qualified for the Champions League on the final day of the season. The Reds hierarchy parted company with the former Feyenoord boss and have drawn up a shortlist of replacements.
Current RC Lens boss, Sage, who Cherki knows from his time at Olympique Lyonnais, is reportedly on that shortlist alongside Andoni Iraola and Sebastian Hoeness. The 47-year-old Frenchman guided Lens to their first-ever Coupe de France trophy and finished second in Ligue 1, qualifying for the Champions League.
The Anfield dressing room has been one of unrest this season after Mohamed Salah's public fallout with Slot, and the Liverpool legend is set to leave the club this summer.
Cherki has previously hailed Sage for bringing stability to a Lyon dressing room that had been in turmoil under his predecessors.
Speaking to L'Equipe and Prime Video Sport France about Sage when he was still playing for Lyon, Cherki said: "The coach brought back the serenity we needed so much. He knows how to talk to players, he understands how we feel.
"With him, there is no pretending. He gives us freedom while establishing a very clear framework. It's exactly what we needed."
*FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE!All the latest news and analysis from Anfield on the Liverpool Echo's dedicated LFC Facebook page*
Cherki's relationship with managers has been scrutinised throughout his career, but in an interview with RMC Sport, he hailed Sage for getting the best out of him.
The Man City playmaker previously said: "He knows how to push my buttons, he knows how to talk to me to get the best out of me.
"He gives me the keys to create on the pitch, but he also reminds me of my defensive duties. It is a relationship based on an indispensable mutual trust."
Pierre Sage
Sage, 47, led Lens to the club's first-ever Coupe de France title last weekend
View 2 Images
Sage had little first-team experience before taking over at Lyon, but Cherki was quick to defend Sage, describing him as a tactical genius. In an interview with Le Progrès, he said: "People forget just how much of a tactical genius he is.
"Every match is prepared down to the millimetre. We know exactly where the spaces are, what we have to do with the ball. He makes football simpler for us."
Former Bournemouth boss Iraola, however, is said to be the frontrunner to take over from Slot, with the outgoing Cherries boss departing the Vitality Stadium this summer after guiding the club to Europe for the first time in their history.
Iraola has also reportedly been in talks with Crystal Palace, AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen, but Liverpool are said to hold the upper hand in negotiations, while former Stuttgart boss Hoeness is also on the club's shortlist.