No one wants to think of life without Jurgen Klopp, but the club do not have that luxury as they search for his successor, and three names continue to pop up.
There are a maximum of 15 games left with Klopp, and Liverpool still have two trophies to fight for in the Premier League and Europa League.
He will leave the club in the best possible position for the next manager, and that search continues behind the scenes while everyone else focuses on ending this campaign on a high.
So far, Xabi Alonso, Sporting’s Ruben Amorim and Brighton‘s Roberto De Zerbi are the names at the top of the list when it comes to filling the vacancy, with ex-Red Alonso still the front-runner.
They have plenty in common, and as the Mail‘s Lewis Steele reports, it is because Liverpool “want a young manager who can grow at the club, and also someone who plays attacking football and has a strong personality.”
No longer do they need a transformative manager who can drag the club back to the top but rather someone who can take what Klopp will leave and push Liverpool to even greater heights.
Liverpool “will fight” for Alonso despite insistence in Germany that he will be heading to Bayern Munich, but they are respectful of his current work and will bide their time.
Meanwhile, new sporting director Richard Hughes attempted to get De Zerbi at Bournemouth a number of years ago and is a known admirer of the Italian’s work, though noise around him is not as loud as Alonso or Amorim.
We know that the use of data will be prevalent in Liverpool’s search, and in that regard, Amorim is weighed favourably and will be one to keep an eye on.
All three are aged 45 or below, ticking the ‘young manager’ box, with De Zerbi taking the honour of being the oldest at 44.
Neither Alonso (42-years-old) or Amorim (39) have seen their side short on goals this season, with 109 and 117 respectively – comparatively Klopp’s Liverpool have 120 to date in 2023/24.
The personality test will prove just as important considering the commitments a Liverpool manager will need to fulfil, but they cannot be compared to Klopp as that almost sets an impossible standard.
Any significant progress on the manager search is only expected at the conclusion of the season.
Fan Comments