Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has confirmed that he will be leaving Liverpool in the summer. Klopp is currently in his 9th season with the team and is a fan favorite all around the world, not just for Liverpool fans. Klopp came into a Liverpool team that had only finished in the top four once in the previous six seasons. During Klopp’s reign as manager, they finished outside of the top four only twice in nine seasons. In those nine seasons, Liverpool won their first ever Premier League trophy, the UEFA Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, the Carabao Cup, the FA Cup, and the Community Shield.
All of these achievements mean that Liverpool will have some big shoes to fill in the summer. Who will step up to the job? Let’s take a look at the top three candidates.
Xabi Alonso, the current manager of Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga has emerged as the favorite to replace Klopp. Alonso played for Liverpool for five years and scored the equalizing goal in the legendary Champions League win against AC Milan in 2006 where Liverpool came back after being down 3-0 at halftime. Alonso’s team is the only team in Europe that is yet to lose a game all season as they are thirty one games unbeaten in all competitions this season. They also are clear of top of the table by five points ahead of Bayern Munich who have won the league eleven years in a row. According to The Mirror, when asked about the Liverpool job, Alonso responded, “Speculation is normal, my focus is here on Bayer Leverkusen,” he said. “I am very happy at Leverkusen with my players at the moment.” Alonso is going to be one of the most wanted managers in the summer with Liverpool not the only team interested, as Barcelona and Bayern Munich are also keeping an eye on the Spaniard.
Roberto De Zerbi, the current manager of Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League has also been spoken about being a potential candidate to replace Klopp. De Zerbi led Brighton to a very impressive season last year. The team finished 6th in the Premier League, which gave them a spot in the Europa League this season. This is the first ever time they have finished in a European qualification spot and made it to the semi-finals of the FA Cup. De Zerbi’s team plays some very attractive soccer and they had the 3rd highest possession percentage in the Premier League, just behind Liverpool and Manchester City, the most shots in the league, and the 3rd most passes in the league. De Zerbi’s team were able to play with the Premier League’s best teams last season beating Arsenal twice, Manchester United twice, Chelsea twice, Liverpool once, and tied once to Manchester City. The Italian manager will be on Liverpool and many other teams’ radars in the summer.
Zinedine Zidane has been without a club since he left Real Madrid after the 20-21 season. Zidane is a certified winner, managing one of the greatest Real Madrid teams of all time. Zidane became the Real Madrid Manager for the first time in January 2016, he resigned after the 2017-18 season, then he came back for the 19-20 season. In his first stint at Madrid, he won the Champions League three years in a row being the only team to ever win the Champions League in three consecutive years and winning the La Liga once. In his second stint, he won the La Liga once out of the two seasons he managed. Zidane is said to be interested in returning to management after being away from the sport for two years with Liverpool being a potential destination.
