‘I wanted to stay another year’ reveals Graeme Souness as he opens up on Sky Sports exit and hints at new job
GRAEME SOUNESS has opened up about his departure from Sky Sports and revealed he would have liked to stay for longer.
The Liverpool and Scotland legend, 70, fought back tears during his final appearance on Sky back in April after 15 years on the platform.
He has since confirmed he is swimming the English Channel for the charity DEBRA which supports people living with skin disorder Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) – also known as “Butterfly Skin”.
But now he has discussed his exit from Sky in more depth, admitting he would have enjoyed a bit more time with the broadcaster.
Speaking to The Guardian, Souness was asked whether it was he or Sky’s decision to part ways, to which he said: “Mutual. I mean, I was keen to stay another year.
“They thought it would be a good idea that we called it a day, gave their reasons and I accepted that and have zero complaints about Sky.
“I worked for them maybe 15 years solid – but it’s more like 20 years.
“They’ve been great for me, gave me the weekends to look forward to, the buzz of live football.”
Souness, who won five league titles and three European Cups as a Liverpool player, was then quizzed on whether he will miss the job.
And he responded by hinting at his next career move.
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Asked if he will miss Sky, he added: “Yes. But I’m talking to other people and we’ll go again. There’s life in the old dog yet.”
Souness’ final appearance on Sky came in a breathtaking 4-3 win for his old club Liverpool over another of his former sides Tottenham.
Giving his goodbye speech to colleagues and the viewers, he said: “I’m going to miss you guys, the guys behind the scenes, our makeup girl, I’ll miss you all.
“You know, for me, I decided that football management wasn’t for me anymore. I had the wrong temperament for it, the wrong personality.
“And then I was given the opportunity to do this and it’s been magnificent. It’s just been the most fantastic time for me, because I love football, I care about football and I worry about it going forward.
“But in Sky’s hands, it’s in good hands, safe hands, and I think over the years we’ve created a Premier League with great detail and I think we look after football very well.”
Souness is aiming to raise £1.1million for DEBRA, a nod to the number 11 he wore during his playing days. To sponsor him, visit: https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/debraswim