Liverpool’s search for Jurgen Klopp’s replacement has been made more difficult by the news that their top target Xabi Alonso intends to stay at Bayer Leverkusen.
The former Liverpool midfielder, who was also on the radar of Bayern Munich, has confirmed that he plans to continue at the Bundesliga club for at least another season.
As a result, Liverpool’s hierarchy have turned their attention to other candidates, and we have picked out five managers who should be on the club’s list.
- Ruben Amorim
Following the news that Alonso is staying in Germany, Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim has emerged as the favourite to be the next Liverpool manager.
After impressing in his first managerial spell at Braga, Amorim arrived at Sporting in 2020 and just over a year later, he transformed the club into title contenders, winning the club’s first Primeira Liga in a decade and halting the dominance set by Benfica and Porto in the Portuguese top flight. Sporting currently lead the way in the league this season with nine games to play.
Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system is different from Klopp’s, but his possession-based approach and aggressive pressing from the front are features of play that have already been embedded into the current crop of Liverpool players. The 39-year-old is also accustomed to operating with a low budget and developing young players and has been praised by his peers for his man management skills. These are attributes that will certainly make him a standout candidate for Liverpool.
Embed from Getty Images- Roberto De Zerbi
Given his familiarity with the Premier League and his attractive style of play, Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi is understandably another manager who has piqued the interest of Liverpool’s hierarchy.
Pep Guardiola once described De Zerbi as “one of the most influential managers in the last 20 years” and it would be intriguing to see how the Italian would perform at a club with better quality players and more spending power.
De Zerbi utilises a possession and pressing based game but has also shown that he is tactically flexible, so the 44-year-old could consider tweaking his tactics in order to accommodate Liverpool’s current squad.
Above all, similarly to Klopp at Liverpool, De Zerbi has a deep-seated connection with Brighton’s players and fanbase. However, acquiring De Zerbi will be problematic, with several other top European clubs such as Bayern Munich and Barcelona also reportedly interested in his services.
Embed from Getty Images- Julian Nagelsmann
The former Bayern Munich coach ticks most of the boxes for Liverpool’s model. Relentless gegenpressing, dominance in possession and fast attacks are just some of the factors of Nageslmann’s brand of football that would make him an ideal fit at Anfield.
At the age of 36, the German is still in the early stages of his managerial career but has already picked up invaluable experience from his time at RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich and now the German national team.
The major concern is that if Liverpool seriously pursued Nagelsmann, their pre-season would be affected by the German’s late arrival from the Euros, where he is in temporary charge of host nation Germany. If he did become Liverpool’s next manager, he would potentially only join up with the squad in mid-July.
Embed from Getty Images- Thomas Tuchel
Tuchel would certainly be one of the more surprising appointments but deserves consideration. The former Chelsea manager undoubtedly has a strong track record of silverware and has a similar background to Klopp, but his recent issues at Bayern Munich are no doubt a concern.
However, if Liverpool fail to land their preferred targets, they may be tempted to turn to a manager who has picked up 10 major trophies across three different leagues and has considerable experience coaching in the Premier League.
Embed from Getty Images- Ange Postecoglou
Definitely the most rogue suggestion on this list for a multitude of reasons, but there is still no denying that Postecoglou would be a hit at Liverpool.
Having dominated Scottish football with Celtic, the Aussie arrived in the Premier League with massive pressure on his shoulders to embark on a new era with Tottenham post Harry Kane. So far, Postecoglou has done a magnificent job and has Spurs playing an attractive style of football, sitting just three points off the top four despite persistent injury issues this season.
He likely will not be leaving Spurs after just one year in charge and has previously shut down speculation linking him with the job, but his tactics and personality would seamlessly fit in at Anfield if he was to make the shock move.
