Roberto De Zerbi has publicly distanced himself from succeeding Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool while also talking up one of the leading candidates for the job.
Ever since the German announced last week that he’d be stepping down at the end of this season, Xabi Alonso was installed as one of the favourites to replace him, with The Athletic subsequently reporting that the Bayer Leverkusen boss is ‘an early frontrunner’ to take the reins at Anfield later this year.
His Brighton counterpart has also been touted as a possible contender for the Reds, but the Italian insisted in an interview with Cronache Di Spogliatoio that his focus is 100% fixed on his current post at the Amex Stadium.
Speaking about Alonso’s suitability to the Liverpool manager’s job, De Zerbi said: “He is doing an extraordinary job. His team plays so well. The style is well-defined. He was already good when coaching Real Sociedad’s second team three years ago and he is proving the same in a great club like Bayer Leverkusen.”
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It’s inevitable that De Zerbi would publicly play down any speculation over a potential exit from Brighton out of loyalty to his current employers, although one might wonder whether he’d privately love to be the next Liverpool manager.
If he’s as true as his public word, though, then Alonso would indeed be a hugely popular choice to take on the unenviable task of succeeding Klopp at Anfield.
If he does guide Leverkusen to the Bundesliga title this season before then being appointed as Reds boss, it’d mark a neat symmetry with the incumbent LFC manager, who was the last person to lead a team other than Bayern Munich to the German top-flight crown (with Borussia Dortmund in 2012).
The 42-year-old is striking a very nice balance with Die Werkself, who are the second-highest scorers in their league with 50 goals while also conceding the fewest, having shipped just 14 prior to this weekend’s games (WhoScored).
If Alonso returns to Liverpool in a managerial capacity and is able to replicate such figures beyond the midway point of the season, the likelihood is that he’d be doing a stellar job. If the decision on Klopp’s successor were being made today, he’d surely be the overwhelming favourite to be given the keys to the Anfield kingdom.