Benito Carbone tips Brighton for title challenge and says Denzel Dumfries would be big hit in Premier League
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Benito Carbone enjoyed spells in the Premier League with Aston Villa, Bradford, Derby and Middlesbrough, but is probably best remembered for his three years at Sheffield Wednesday.
In the first part of an exclusive interview with Ladbrokes: Fanzone, the Italian chatted about Inter Milan’s Denzel Dumfries ahead of Saturday’s Champions League final, compatriot Roberto De Zerbi, and playing with Paul Ince and Roberto Carlos at the San Siro.
Denzel Dumfries would shine in Premier League
Denzel Dumfries has had a very good season with Inter Milan and I’m not surprised that a lot of teams in the Premier League want him. But so much depends on this weekend and how Inter get on against Manchester City. When you win the Champions League, everything changes. All of a sudden, you’re the team who everyone wants to join, and players leaving will do so as Champions League winners, and so their fees would be much higher.
Road to Istanbul! Enjoyed this one… 😜 Forza Inter ⚫️🔵 pic.twitter.com/5LcqVzHz9V
— Denzel Dumfries (@DenzelJMD2) May 18, 2023
Dumfries needs to assess things after this weekend. He needs to wait and see what happens, and then he needs to think about whether he wants a change in his life, if he needs a new motivation, and all of these kind of things. If he wanted to come to England, the best league in world football, I am confident Dumfries would comfortably get into any team. We’ve seen how good he has been this season for Inter Milan, but looking elsewhere, I think he could play anywhere. Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool. This guy is only going to get better and better – especially if he’s surrounded by better players.
Watch out for Brighton in next year’s title race because De Zerbi is one of the best coaches in the Premier League
A lot of teams disappointed me in the Premier League this season. Of course Manchester City ran away with the title in the end, and Arsenal were very impressive, but behind that, I’ve been very disappointed with the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, and especially Liverpool. Liverpool have been so good over the last few years, and I think something has happened in the dressing room, maybe with the coach, and it’s meant they’ve struggled to challenge this season. But they’re a great team, and Jurgen Klopp is an incredible manager, so I would expect them to come back again next season and be up there in the title race.
Man City, Chelsea, Man United…these are the teams you always expect to be up there challenging for first place. One thing I will say, though, is this: Watch out for Brighton! Be careful of Brighton under Roberto De Zerbi. I think they can do even better than they did this season, because De Zerbi is one of the best coaches in the Premier League. I am sure they can do even better next season.
"The fans are our beating heart. I'm humbled by their support." 🙏 On his 44th birthday, Roberto looks back on our record-breaking campaign. 💬
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) June 6, 2023
I said this months ago when De Zerbi arrived in England. I told everyone to watch out for this guy. I knew he would do a very good job with Brighton, because I know him. I know his ideas, I know how he works, he’s a coach with a very big personality. I told everyone I knew to keep an eye on him, because his ideas are incredible. I said, when he arrived in England, that he would be managing one of the biggest teams in the Premier League, within a year.
Many teams in Italy talk about him, all the time. Whenever there are rumours around new managers, he’s the name everybody is speaking about. But De Zerbi is not stupid. He must stay in England. He’s done a fantastic job with Brighton, but I’m so confident that the next big job which comes up in the Premier League, whether it’s at Liverpool, Chelsea or anyone like that, he’ll get it.
Ince struggled with Italian, but he was one of Inter Milan greats
When we’re talking about Inter Milan, we’re talking about my heart. Inter Milan is my family, it’s the team of my brothers. When I was 24, I was able to wear the number 10 shirt. It’s taken me some time, and it’s something I maybe didn’t know while I was there, but I now know exactly how special it was to play for a club like Inter Milan.
It’s incredible for me to look back and see myself in the Inter Milan shirt, and I shared a dressing room with some great, great guys there. Paul Ince, for example, is just a great, great guy. And what a player he was – I was lucky enough to play with him at Middlesbrough, too. He was just a fantastic player, who always left everything on the pitch, no matter who we were playing. He was always positive, and above everything else, he’s a fantastic man.
Ex-Inter Midfielder Paul Ince: "When You Win The Milan Derby You're King Of The City For A Night" #InterMilan #FCIM https://t.co/eCVjfCNCcr
— SempreInter.com (@SempreIntercom) November 15, 2021
Paul was brilliant in Italy. He didn’t understand a word of the language but he did all of his talking on the pitch. He was so funny. We tried to help him learn some Italian but he struggled with it a lot. It wasn’t easy for him at all, but that’s really normal. Like I said, he did his talking on the pitch, he was aggressive, passionate…a born leader.
For me, talking about Roberto Carlos, I’m always confused with something. He signed for Inter Milan in the same summer as me, so we played together for one year. It was unbelievable,some of the things he showed he could do with a football, even at such a young age. I never understood the decision Inter Milan made to allow him to leave for Real Madrid, though. For the next 10 or 15 years with Madrid he went on to become one of the best defenders in the world, winning everything… it always confused me that Inter let him leave.
For me, Roy Hodgson is one of the best people I’ve ever met in my life. He really is a fantastic person, and maybe we’ve had our differences in the past, which came down to disagreements about my position in the team. I wanted to play further forward, but he wanted me out wide. But, for me, he was a fantastic person and a great coach. He’s done so much in his career – I have so much respect for him.
