Brighton and Hove Albion boss Roberto De Zerbi has urged the club’s owner Tony Bloom to renew Adam Lallana’s contract.
De Zerbi spoke out amid fears that the injured midfielder may not play again this season.
The former England international has missed Albion’s past four games, sitting out the 1-0 defeat at home to Fulham on Saturday (18 February).
Lallana has been suffering from a leg problem sustained in the 2-2 draw at Leicester last month.
The injury is worse than initially thought and the 34-year-old may already have made his final Albion appearance as his existing deal expires this summer.
Despite those fitness concerns, head coach De Zerbi is determined to retain a player he regards as influential on and off the pitch.
De Zerbi said: “It can be he has finished the season. It’s bad news for us because he’s one of the most important players. We can win without Adam but he’s important for us.
“I want Lallana with me, for sure, 100 per cent. I already spoke with Tony and I told him to extend his contract.
“Adam helps not only me and the coaches but the young players. He’s important on the pitch and out of the pitch.”
De Zerbi endured a frustrating weekend having been shown a red card in the tunnel after he angrily confronted the referee Darren England at full-time.
His emotions boiled over having watched Albion dominate against the counter-attacking Cottagers before being hit by a late sucker-punch from substitute Manor Solomon, denting the club’s quest for European football.
Defender Joel Veltman said that the Seagulls need to find a killer instinct if they are to qualify for Europe.
They squandered a host of chances for the second successive fixture after the 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace the previous weekend.
The Dutchman said: “We’re aiming for it. We have the qualities. The club and stadium, with the fans around it, the basics are there.
“We’ve played 22 games so we have to be humble and fight for every game. As long as we do that, we’re ready maybe for Europe.
“We want to fight for it but we also know we are in the Premier League, with Chelsea and Liverpool behind us. It is going to be a tough one.
“Against Palace we were the better team and now we are losing. I would rather have it this way than not creating chances. We need to be killers.”
Fulham leapfrogged Brighton into sixth spot courtesy of their smash-and-grab success and Fulham midfielder Harrison Reed said that Marco Silva’s side were also eyeing a spot in Europe.
The 28-year-old said: “We believe. We go into every game with the same mindset. We don’t look too far ahead.
“We haven’t reached our points tally yet so we need to keep pushing for that. I’m sure the manager will let you know when we have.”
