Philippe Coutinho has talked up one coach who’s been linked with the Liverpool job after Jurgen Klopp leaves in the summer.
Xabi Alonso remains many people’s preferred choice to take over, but if the Bayer Leverkusen manager doesn’t return to Anfield, one option who’s reportedly being considered is Hansi Flick (SportBILD).
The Brazilian playmaker worked with the 59-year-old at Bayern Munich, winning the Champions League in 2020, and he talked up his former boss in an interview with Sport.
Coutinho said of Klopp and Flick: “They are two great coaches. I have trained with both of them and the truth is that I had a very good relationship with them and their teams have always played very well. I would say any of these options are very good for any team in the world.”
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The European triumph with Bayern four years ago was the peak of Flick’s reign at the Allianz Arena, which saw him take charge for only 86 matches but win 70 of those, averaging an astonishing 2.53 points per game (Transfermarkt).
His subsequent spell as Germany national team coach was rather more sobering, overseeing their group stage exit at the 2022 World Cup and losing four of his final five games in charge, with a 4-1 thrashing by Japan last September seeing him become the first-ever person to be sacked from the Nationalmannschaft job.
One big plus of Liverpool possibly moving for the 59-year-old is that he’d be readily available, as he’s not in a managerial post at the moment, whereas Alonso and Leverkusen would need persuading if the Spaniard were to be hired.
The former Reds midfielder remains the preferred candidate for many supporters, but if he proves to be unattainable, Coutinho’s endorsement of Flick might strike a chord with the Anfield hierarchy when it comes to making their decision on Klopp’s eventual successor.