Liverpool have appointed Richard Hughes as their new sporting director and one of his main tasks will be to appoint the next manager once Jurgen Klopp leaves at the end of the season.
The Reds have already appointed Michael Edwards as their CEO, and the duo are expected to carry out day-to-day operations at the club from June onwards.
Of all the managers linked with the Liverpool job, one name that stands out is Xabi Alonso. He is one of the primary targets for Liverpool, but it won’t be easy to appoint him as he is wanted by Bayern Munich as well.
Alonso has done wonders at Bayer Leverkusen who have not lost a single game thus far. The 42-year-old is on the verge of winning the Bundesliga title with them, and he could be a great successor of Klopp at Liverpool.
Conor Bradley has described Alonso as “unbelievable” while talking about him in a programme with the Premier League. Alonso spent five seasons at Liverpool during his playing days and shared a special bond with the fans.
As a player, the Spaniard was world-class and enjoyed success at both Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Some training videos of Leverkusen have gone viral where Alonso is seen spraying out long passes like what he used to do as a player.
Conor Bradley in awe of Xabi Alonso
He said to the Premier League’s YouTube channel: “I’ve seen some clips from Bayer Leverkusen. He’s still hitting pings in training. He’s still got it. It’s mental. He’s unbelievable.”
It won’t be easy for any manager to match Klopp’s legacy at the club, but Liverpool fans would love to see Alonso returning to his old club.
Klopp will be leaving behind a great squad while Liverpool have the structure in place for the new manager to flourish. Alonso, who can speak multiple languages including English, would not find any problem communicating with players.
While he may continue to build his legacy at Bayer Leverkusen, the prospect of replacing Klopp could be too tempting to reject straightaway.
At the moment, Alonso is focused on the current season, and he is likely to make any decision on his future after the end of the season.
