Former Everton manager Sam Allardyce has insisted that he is on the same level as Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta following his arrival at Leeds United. At a press conference today, Allardyce took aim at preconceptions of his tactics and likened his credentials with the highest calibre of managers in the Premier League.
Sam Allardyce said: “Far too many people think I am old and antiquated, which is so far from the truth. I may be 68 and look old but there’s nobody ahead of me in football terms, not Pep (Guardiola), not (Jurgen) Klopp, not (Mikel) Arteta, so it’s all there with me. I share what they do and I do what I do but in terms of knowledge and depth of knowledge, I’m up there with them – I’m not saying I’m better than them – but certainly as good as they are. I just wish sometimes you get the opportunity that you can show but that’s not going to happen for me now apart from if I keep Leeds up and if this club was big enough to build a team that was going to challenge the big boys eventually, but that’s a long story away.”