Despite the fact that Sam Allardyce, the former manager of England, was relegated twice in his previous two roles, Steven Nzonzi believes there is still a place for him and his managerial philosophy.

The 68-year-old manager, who took over for Javi Gracia in May, was unable to prevent Leeds United from sliding to the Championship as he failed to win any of his four games in command.

On Friday, Leeds announced that Allardyce will be leaving the team.

It marks Allardyce's second Premier League relegation, having also lost his job with West Brom in the 2020–21 campaign.

Nzonzi, who worked under Allardyce at Blackburn Rovers, believes the management approach of his former boss is still relevant.

He said to Stats Perform: "There is no doubt that there is a place for him; he has great experience, and I think Leeds may have brought him a little late.""So, for me, to save a team he is one of the best for sure, but it is difficult to come in and he managed four games," said Sam Allardyce, who I played under. "Trust me, he is a big guy, and he has big charm. I believe it came a little too late.He is a brilliant coach, and he has a ton of experience, so he can still manage in the Premier League and the Championship. I have wonderful memories of working with him.

Nzonzi, who played for Big Sam before moving on to represent elite clubs like Sevilla and Roma, admits that Allardyce is the mentor he is most appreciative of.

When asked which manager he had enjoyed working under the most, he responded, "That would be impossible for me to say, I enjoyed so many managers."

"[Jorge] Sampaoli was the one I enjoyed the most, but Sam Allardyce is the one I am most thankful for. I came from the second division in France, and he gave me a start in the Premier League against Manchester City for the opening game of the season. That game altered my outlook on the world and my outlook on life.

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