Rafa Benitez would jump at the chance of a return to Anfield, says Spanish journalist Guillem Balague.
Due to Liverpool’s barren run in 2021, there has been speculation about Jurgen Klopp’s future, with false rumours suggesting he would end his contract which expires in 2024 early.
These thankfully proved to be nonsense, but speculation hasn’t quietened, with various managers from all over the world touted as potential future replacements.
Benitez most recently worked in China and left earlier this year – and is currently on the lookout for a suitable job.
Balague has claimed it’s not the right time for Rafa to take charge, but if there was a crisis in the future, he’d be a perfect interim.
“There is a feeling of unfinished business with Rafa and Liverpool, I’ve always said that,” Balague said on his YouTube channel.
“Rafa would love to be the Liverpool manager at some point. Maybe in a time of crisis, proper crisis, not what’s happening now.
“Maybe in a time where there’s a need for a strong personality to steady a ship. But right now in the way that the owners are behaving and Klopp and everything, that situation doesn’t exist.
“How can we think that Klopp has reached the end of an era? Look at the bigger picture, how can anyone suggest that?
“It’s laughable. It’s stupid and absurd to be talking about a future without Klopp.”
As Balague says, Klopp is going nowhere – and neither should he.
Our collapse this term is entirely explainable. Injuries have ravaged us, and refereeing decisions have played their part as well.
We need a break, in truth – but for now – simply have to get our heads down and do everything we can to finish in the top four – or this summer’s transfer window will be less exciting than it needs to be.