Billy Hogan was coy when asked about Jurgen Klopp’s potential successor as Liverpool manager this afternoon.
The Reds’ CEO held a joint press conference with the 56-year-old after the club confirmed that the latter will step down from his role at the end of this season.
Thoughts will naturally turn to the identity of who assumes the job next, and when an appointment might be made, but that process could understandably take some time.
Speaking to the media on Friday when asked about who might take over from Klopp, Hogan replied (via Ian Doyle on X): “We won’t have a running commentary [on who the next manager will be]. We will talk when we’re ready to talk, and we won’t talk about other people and get into the name game.”
Hogan was also non-committal about the potential timescale for choosing Klopp’s successor, saying (via Doyle on X): “I wouldn’t want to set an expectation as it’s a process we have to go through.
“We have to look through all the information and data, do the due diligence, and then we’ll make an announcement. It’ll go on in the background.”
Klopp admitted this morning that he informed senior figures of his intentions to leave Liverpool this summer as far back as November (liverpoolfc.com), so privately there may already be work going on as to appointing his successor.
The question will inevitably stalk the 56-year-old for the foreseeable future until such time that the club confirms who’ll be tasked with following in the German’s footsteps.
It could take weeks, perhaps even months, for that decision to be finalised and made public; and given the scale of the task facing his replacement in trying to live up to Klopp’s era, it’s certainly not an appointment to be made lightly.
Hogan and the Liverpool hierarchy will also need to find a successor to Jorg Schmadtke, with it being confirmed that the 59-year-old will depart as sporting director once the January transfer window ends next week.
FSG will have a frantic period ahead of them as they work towards finding the right people to fill two of the biggest jobs at one of the biggest football clubs in the world. Whoever may be handed the reins, let’s hope and pray they prove to be the right choices.