Liverpool have reportedly decided on the top two candidates to succeed outgoing manager Jurgen Klopp in the summer.
Jurgen Klopp announced in January that he will be leaving the Premier League club after joining them in 2015.
Unsurprisingly, Xabi Alonso, the head coach of Bayer Leverkusen, has emerged as the front-runner to succeed Klopp before the start of the next campaign.
The legendary player from Liverpool has been doing amazing things for Bayer Leverkusen, who lead Bayern Munich by two points in the Bundesliga.
Given that Alonso has been linked to both Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in recent weeks, the Reds may have competition in the hunt to sign him.
Ruben Amorim of Sporting Lisbon has surfaced as a possible alternative to Alonso.
According to journalist Gianluigi Longari, Alonso and Amorim are the front-runners to join Liverpool in the summer.
“Liverpool evaluations underway for the bench,” Longari wrote on X.
“Many candidates in the running, the first on the LFC list is Xabi Alonso.
“Among the alternatives considered by the Reds, the name of Ruben Amorim currently managing Sporting stands out.”
As per Record, Amorim has established a timeframe for considering any suggestions from other teams. Following the season, interested parties will have a meeting with the manager and his agency to discuss the next step in his coaching career.
Liverpool are not the only club to be linked with a move for Amorim. The 39-year old has been previously linked with the Chelsea and the Manchester United jobs.
Alonso is the ideal choice of former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann to follow Klopp, and he has revealed why.
“I think if anyone can do it it’s Xabi,” Hamann told talkSPORT.
“He’s loved by the people, he’s been a brilliant player and what he’s doing at Leverkusen is exceptional.
“Obviously there’s a danger to going in after Klopp, the pressure and the expectations will be high, but I think they will have a team – if they keep them together – that competes for the Premier League next season.
“People talk about [Roberto] De Zerbi, [Ange] Postecoglou, Liverpool is different and he [Alonso] knows what the club is like. He’s loved by the fans.
“For me, I think he would be the ideal choice. If he sees it the same way, I’m not too sure.
“If you look at Liverpool, Liverpool is a special and unique club and I think the success of Klopp was down to the relationship he’s had with the players, the fans and the city; he changed the mentality in the whole city.”
Whoever takes the Liverpool job will have big shoes to fill. Klopp’s connection with the fans and the players during his tenure is something not many clubs in the world can match. Liverpool fans would expect the same from the next Liverpool manager.
The work Klopp has done at Liverpool in the last nine years, with the player development, with the team set up and work ethic across the board is something that is going to help the future Liverpool manager.
The upcoming manager will have an easier job than what Klopp had when he joined the club back in 2015.
The German manager has managed to win seven trophies with the Reds, including one Premier League and Champions League.
Klopp’s next move is currently being discussed by different media outlets. The former manager has been linked with a move to Spanish giants Barcelona.
