Getty Image
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp shocked the sports world on Friday when he revealed he would step down following the 2023-24 Premier League season.
This despite the Reds sitting atop the Premier League table more than halfway through the season.
Klopp it widely regarded as one of, if not the top manager in club soccer, and Liverpool is one of the most prestigious jobs in the world.
Now the Reds are left looking to the future. But they won’t be shy on candidates.
Top Candidates To Replace Jurgen Klopp After Shock Liverpool Departure
Liverpool will likely have the pick of the litter when it comes to managers. Beyond those already at top six clubs in England and those at powerhouses like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, it’s hard to imagine just about anyone is off the table.
But a handful of candidates stand out as an obvious fit with the Reds.
Xabi Alonso (Bayer Leverkusen)
42-year-old Xabi Alonso is the obvious leader in the clubhouse. The former Liverpool midfielder has worked wonders in his two seasons at German club Bayer Leverkusen.
The Spaniard currently has Leverkusen atop the table in the Bundesliga, a full four points clear of Bayern Munich in second place. Not only that, but Leverkusen play the style of free flowing, attacking football that has come to expected out of Liverpool.
He’s one of the game’s great young tactical minds. He has ties to the Reds, and he’s an obvious culture fit.
It would be surprising if Xabi Alonso weren’t the man on the touchline at Anfield next season.
Roberto Di Zerbi (Brighton)
But what if it isn’t Alonso? Then what.
One of the top names on the list after him has to be Brighton’s Roberto Di Zerbi. The 44-year-old Italian was thrust into the manager role at Brighton mid-season last year after Graham Potter departed for Chelsea.
Potter is now unemployed and Di Zerbi has seemingly improved upon what Potter had built, despite losing star players such as Moises Caicedo and Levi Colwill.
Di Zerbi has Premier League experience, unlike Alonso, and his passion on the sidelines would fit in well among the Liverpool faithful.
Steven Gerrard (Al-Etiffaq)
The logic behind this one doesn’t exactly check out. Gerrard struggled in his lone spell as a Premier League manager with Aston Villa, who have since thrived under Unai Emery.
But all logic goes out the window when you’re talking about a club legend.
Gerrard is a former Liverpool and England captain and he began his managerial career in the Liverpool youth ranks. He’ll be familiar with the club and many of the young players currently in the senior squad. If the Reds somehow strike out on other options, Gerrard could be next in line.
Zinedine Zidane (N/A)
All Zinedine Zidane has done in his career is went and become one of the best players of all-time and then followed it up with an extremely successful career as a manager at Real Madrid.
The French legend they affectionately refer to as Zizou won La Liga twice and the UEFA Champions League three times while at the helm as Madrid. That’s despite just a five-year run at the helm with a short break in between.
Zidane is currently out of a job and has shown no interest in returning anytime soon. But could a job as prestigious as Liverpool sway him?
Pep Guardiola (Manchester City)
Look. This isn’t happening.
Guardiola has rivaled Klopp as the best manager in the world for the last decade. He’s currently in the midst of an absurd run at Manchester City, which affords him all the resources he could ever possibly need to succeed.
BUT.
Manchester City is currently facing a comical number of charges from the FA for breaching Financial Fair Play rules. It avoided punishment from UEFA over a technicality.
But if its not so lucky in England, City could face punishment as serious as relegation to the lowest tier of the English football league.
If that happens, it’s hard to imagine Guardiola sticks around.
Could he decide to remain in England and take a quick jaunt over to Merseyside?
Never say never.