Neil Jones has stated that Liverpool should ‘take the gamble’ on one prominent managerial candidate who could emulate a feat last achieved by Jurgen Klopp.
With Anfield chiefs now on the lookout for a successor to the German, who’s stepping down at the end of this season, one name has emerged as a clear frontrunner – Xabi Alonso has even been reportedly sounded out about potentially taking over from the 56-year-old later this year.
Speaking to CaughtOffside for the latest edition of his Daily Briefing column, the journalist gave his firm backing to the Bayer Leverkusen boss, who he believes would be an ideal fit for the Reds.
Jones said: “I think Xabi Alonso is the big favourite for the Liverpool job at this stage, and he would be my choice too.
“There isn’t a ‘guaranteed’ successor to Klopp available, in my eyes. Every manager out there, besides Pep Guardiola, comes with a degree of risk. Even seasoned winners like Carlo Ancelotti or Jose Mourinho, or a vastly experienced coach like Thomas Tuchel or Diego Simeone, would not necessarily be the right fit for Liverpool, and for Liverpool’s squad, culture and supporters.
“I think it’s clear that both Alonso and Roberto De Zerbi are going to manage at the very top level at some point in the future, and so in my opinion the time is right for Liverpool to take the gamble and Alonso’s style of play, personality and past ties with the club make him the stronger candidate, for me.
“What he is doing this season, igniting an underachieving club against the giants of Bayern Munich is, dare I say, a little reminiscent of what Klopp did at Borussia Dortmund, and if he can finish the job off by winning the Bundesliga, it would only add further weight to the argument.”
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Jones makes several good points here about why Alonso would be a prime candidate to succeed Klopp in the Liverpool hotseat.
The previous Anfield connections obviously help, as does his standing as an ambitious manager who’s at a point in his career where his reputation is rapidly soaring at the age of 42. In turn, he may have his sights set on building a project on Merseyside over the long-term like the German has done.
The same couldn’t really be said of a veteran alternatives such as Ancelotti or Mourinho, even though both have formidable CVs as multiple Champions League winners.
Jones’ comparison of Alonso’s fantastic campaign at Leverkusen to Klopp at Dortmund is pertinent. The latter remains the last coach to stop Bayern Munich from winning the Bundesliga, and that was 12 years ago, so the Spaniard doing so this year would be quite a standout feat.
Also in a similar vein to the German with BVB, the 42-year-old took over at the BayArena when the club were at a very low ebb and has swiftly transformed them into title contenders.
He’d obviously be walking into a rather different scenario if he takes the Liverpool job this summer, but like the journalist has said, there are numerous factors which appear to make Alonso the right man for the role, if he’d be interested in taking it.
#Ep100 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️