Arne Slot is currently the firm frontrunner to be Liverpool’s next manager, but if the pursuit of the Feyenoord boss hits the rocks irretrievably, one of his peers might just be keen on replacing Jurgen Klopp for the second time in his career.
Graeme Bailey reported for TBR Football that Thomas Tuchel is keen on returning to England this summer, with the agents of the exit-bound Bayern Munich coach having contacted both the Reds and Manchester United to inform them that the 50-year-old is ready to pursue another job straight away once the season ends.
However, the former Chelsea manager – who took over from Klopp at Borussia Dortmund in 2015 – isn’t believed to be someone that Anfield chiefs wish to pursue, with their focus seemingly fixed firmly on the man in charge in Rotterdam instead.
Tuchel has beaten Liverpool twice before – with Paris-Saint Germain in November 2018 and then Chelsea in March 2021 – and famously guided the latter to Champions League glory less than three months after that victory at Anfield.
He’s reached at least the quarter-finals in the competition for five seasons in a row and could still win it with Bayern before he leaves the club this summer, a success which’d atone for them losing their 11-year monopoly on the Bundesliga crown to Bayer Leverkusen.
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However, despite his impressive track record at the highest level in Europe, he has previous for alienating players at Stamford Bridge, while he’s also not been averse to publicly eviscerating his team, having done so during his current spell in Munich earlier this year.
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly also described gim as a ‘nightmare’ to deal with in terms of recruitment (The Athletic), something which may well deter Richard Hughes in the lead-up to his first transfer window as Liverpool’s sporting director.
The Reds could do a whole lot worse than Tuchel, who’s already shown that he’s not afraid to follow in Klopp’s footsteps, but it’s very hard to imagine then going for the 50-year-old if they don’t see him as the right fit at Anfield. In any case, it’s become clear in recent days that Slot is the preferred candidate for the LFC hierarchy.
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