Jamie Carragher has named who he thinks could now be the ‘favourite’ to take over from Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager and explained the rationale behind his premonition.
On Monday afternoon, The Athletic’s David Ornstein dropped the bombshell news that Ruben Amorim is ‘unlikely’ to be appointed at Anfield, with the Sporting Lisbon boss having seemed to be the frontrunner for the past month or so.
Taking to X in the wake of that curveball, the former Reds defender believes that Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi could now be in pole position, having reportedly been wanted by LFC’s sporting director in the past.
Carragher posted: “Richard Hughes wanted De Zerbi at Bournemouth, so he must be the favourite if this is true. Ornstein doesn’t get much wrong tbf!”
Richard Hughes wanted De Zerbi at Bournemouth, so he must be the favourite if this is true.
Ornstein doesn’t get much wrong tbf! https://t.co/xqA9GEaN5w— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) April 22, 2024
Although De Zerbi has done a splendid job at Brighton, taking them into Europe for the first time in their history and guiding them to the Europa League round of 16, he’d seem a bit of an anti-climactic appointment after Xabi Alonso and now Amorim have fallen by the wayside.
The Italian did excellently to finish sixth in the Premier League last season, immediately behind Klopp’s Liverpool, but they currently sit 10th in the table and may yet be nudged into the bottom half.
That wouldn’t appear to be the best audition for replacing the legendary German at Anfield if it materialises, and the 44-year-old has yet to win a major trophy as a manager, even with his previous outfit Shakhtar Donetsk being Ukraine’s dominant club over the past two decades.
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Maybe Hughes sees something in De Zerbi which makes him think that the Brighton boss could be the right fit for Liverpool, but if Carragher’s hunch is based purely on the Reds’ sporting director wanting the Italian at Bournemouth in the past, that could be concerning.
With the greatest of respect to the Cherries, their ambitions and expectations differ significantly to those of LFC. What’d constitute success for the south coast club doesn’t correspond with how the Merseysiders define that particular word.
Of course, the 44-year-old mightn’t necessarily be the preferred option at Anfield either, but hopefully whoever is ultimately entrusted with replacing Klopp will justify the board’s faith.
Zidane or Xabi, simple. Both are winners although Zidane is more proven