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Xabi Alonso and five other possible Jurgen Klopp replacements for Liverpool
The shock news that Jurgen Klopp will step down as Liverpool manager at the end of the season leaves the Anfield club seeking a successor for the German.
Klopp’s nine-year tenure in charge has seen him transform Liverpool into consistent title challengers, guiding them to Premier League and Champions League triumphs. Their 2019/20 domestic triumph was a first league title for 30 years.
Filling Klopp’s shoes will be a tough task, but there a number of intriguing candidates to succeed him. Assistant Pep Lijnders, thought by some to be a successor in waiting, has also confirmed that he will be leaving the club to pursue his own managerial ambitions.
Here are some of the names who could be in the frame to replace Klopp.
Xabi Alonso
The favourite for the role is Xabi Alonso, the former Liverpool midfielder who has done fine work with Bayer Leverkusen in Germany. The 42-year-old is regarded as one of Europe’s most promising managers having impressed previously at Real Sociedad and taken Leverkusen to the top of the Bundesliga. He spent five years at Anfield during his playing career.
Roberto De Zerbi
If Liverpool favour a manager familiar with the Premier League, Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi might fit the bill. The Italian’s progressive coaching style has proved a neat fit on the South Coast, taking the club into Europe for the first time during his first campaign in charge. The former Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk manager has been praised by Klopp, and the two managers share a mutual respect for one another.
Steven Gerrard
There was a time where a return at Anfield seemed a certainty for ex-club captain Steven Gerrard, who guided Rangers to a Scottish league title after departing a role in Liverpool’s academy. A difficult spell at Aston Villa has caused his managerial stock to fall, while the Saudi Pro League is not perhaps the place to rebuild a reputation, but Gerrard remains popular with the fanbase and impressed Klopp while in charge of Liverpool’s Under-18s.
Julian Nagelsmann
Now in charge of Germany, a jump to the Premier League has long been rumoured for managerial wunderkind Julian Nagelsmann. Things turned a little sour towards the end of his stint at Bayern Munich but Nagelsmann was once European football’s hottest coaching commodity after success with Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig.
Ange Postecoglou
Surely not? It seems unlikely that Ange Postecoglou will leave Tottenham after his early success in London but the Australian was a Liverpool fan growing up, and has made a success of virtually every role in a long and varied career.
Ruben Amorim
Another young coach making waves on the continent, Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim is regarded as a sharp tactical thinker. His positive mindset has also drawn praise during his time in Lisbon, and a step up to a higher-profile job in the future feels a formality for the 38-year-old, who has time on his side.
Other candidates...
Brentford’s Thomas Frank may be enduring some challenges this season but has built the London club nicely over the past few seasons, and shares certain sensibilities with Klopp. While news that Pep Lijnders will be departing alongside Klopp would appear to rule him out, he could yet contend as a continuity candidate.
