Liverpool FC journalist Neil Jones has spoken exclusively to CaughtOffside about the most likely replacement for Jurgen Klopp when he steps down at the end of the season.
Unsurprisingly, it seems Jones’ information is much the same as what has been widely reported by a host of top sources and reporters, with Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso looking the favourite to take over at Anfield.
Speaking to CaughtOffside for the latest edition of his Daily Briefing column, Jones explained that Alonso looks like the name most likely to come in at Liverpool next season, even if there isn’t a guaranteed name in the frame just yet.
The Spanish tactician is doing tremendous work at Leverkusen and also enjoyed some good memories as a Liverpool player, including winning the Champions League with the Reds in that memorable 2005 final win over AC Milan.
Liverpool fans would surely love to see Alonso back at Anfield as manager, and it’s easy to imagine he’ll generally be in demand after the job he’s done at Leverkusen, which Jones compared to Klopp himself during his Borussia Dortmund days.
“I think Xabi Alonso is the big favourite for the Liverpool job at this stage, and he would be my choice too,” Jones said.
“There isn’t a ‘guaranteed’ successor to Klopp available, in my eyes. Every manager out there, besides Pep Guardiola, comes with a degree of risk. Even seasoned winners like Carlo Ancelotti or Jose Mourinho, or a vastly-experienced coach like Thomas Tuchel or Diego Simeone, would not necessarily be the right fit for Liverpool, and for Liverpool’s squad, culture and supporters.
“I think it’s clear that both Alonso and Roberto De Zerbi are going to manage at the very top level at some point in the future, and so in my opinion the time is right for Liverpool to take the gamble and Alonso’s style of play, personality and past ties with the club make him the stronger candidate, for me.
“What he is doing this season, igniting an underachieving club against the giants of Bayern Munich is, dare I say, a little reminiscent of what Klopp did at Borussia Dortmund, and if he can finish the job off by winning the Bundesliga, it would only add further weight to the argument.
“Another to keep an eye on might be Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim, who I know has a lot of admirers in the Premier League. My question with that one would be; is the Primeira Liga adequate preparation for a job like Liverpool? Amorim has done a really good job and has shown an ability to develop both players and a cohesive, winning team, but Anfield would be another level in terms of pressure and expectation.”