Liverpool fans could be kept waiting for at least another couple of months before the club formally announces its next manager.
Xabi Alonso remains many people’s favourite to take over from Jurgen Klopp, with Richard Keys even claiming that the Bayer Leverkusen boss has ‘decided on’ a move to Anfield, although the 42-year-old remains at the centre of a tug-of-war between the Reds and Bayern Munich.
In his latest Liverpool Confidential round-up for the Daily Mail, Lewis Steele outlined that LFC are reluctant to approach managers directly mid-season but mightn’t have the luxury of time amid the Bavarian’s interest, although it could be another few weeks before interviews are held.
FOLLOW Empire of the Kop on Instagram (@empireofthekop) HERE
The journalist wrote: “Liverpool are keen not to disrespect clubs by approaching their managers directly but there is a feeling they must step up their search soon to avoid being scooped by Bayern and Co.
“April and May, therefore, will be key months of background talks. It would be heavily unlikely that any interview process would begin while the season is ongoing but groundwork is being done in both Liverpool and Munich to get their men.”
Liverpool chiefs are indeed left treading a delicate tightrope – do they push for Alonso now and potentially antagonise Leverkusen, or do they hold back out of respect for him and the club, at the risk of letting Bayern beat them to the punch?
Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes will surely be hard at work discussing with representatives of various managerial candidates, even if a formal approach to a club isn’t made while the campaign is still ongoing and an appointment isn’t confirmed until after the season ends.
There’s also a balance to be struck between finalising a successor for Klopp at the earliest opportunity, so that the brains trust can press ahead with plotting a summer transfer strategy, and undergoing all due diligence so that the right candidate is found.
It looks like it could take another few weeks before we discover for sure who’ll be leading the team into a new era at Anfield, although the process should hopefully gather pace over the coming month.