Niko Kovac is emerging as a surprise contender to become the next Liverpool manager, according to the Daily Mail.
The former Bayern Munich and Monaco head coach is available after leaving Wolfsburg earlier this season after a two-year spell with the Bundesliga club.
After missing out on Xabi Alonso, who recently announced his intentions to stay at newly crowned Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen, Liverpool turned their attentions to Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim, who is believed to be the frontrunner for the job.
With Michael Edwards as the new Director of Football and Richard Hughes sporting director, Liverpool’s once disjointed backroom staff is now much more organised but the club are still yet to begin formal negotiations with any of the candidates on their shortlist.
Liverpool utilises a sophisticated data model to assess which manager is best suited to be appointed, and it seems they are still collecting data as part of a robust research process to find their next manager.
Embed from Getty ImagesAccording to the Daily Mail, Kovac’s representatives have recently been in London and are notifying Premier League clubs that Kovac will be available in the summer.
The 52-year-old enjoyed a successful playing career with Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich and RB Salzburg as a defensive midfielder and was captain of the Croatia national team.
He then moved into coaching, picking up his first piece of silverware with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2018 before claiming the league and cup double with Bayern Munich a year later. Incidentally, Kovac was in charge of Bayern when Liverpool eliminated them from the Champions League in 2019. He then coached Monaco from 2020 to 2022.
Kovac’s recent spell at Wolfsburg did not work out and he left the club six points above the relegation zone when he was relieved of his duties last month.
