It’s something that none of us want to think about, but we are entering the final few months of the Jurgen Klopp era.
Already with the Carabao Cup in the bag following the dramatic 1-0 victory over Chelsea, there are high hopes that the FA Cup, Europa League and Premier League could follow.
Although it’s almost unthinkable to think about Liverpool without Klopp at the helm, the race to be his eventual successor is hotting up.
With all the country’s biggest bookmakers offering markets and betting offers over who will be the next Liverpool boss, in this article we will review the list of managers who have been tipped to take over from Klopp at Anfield and analyse what skills they could bring to the job.
Xabi Alonso
 The overwhelming favourite with the bookies is former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso. Not only does Alonso have a lifelong affinity with the Liverpool faithful following his part in our famous 2005 Champions League success, he is without doubt the hottest young manager currently in the game.
Having led Bayer Leverkusen to the top of the Bundesliga, his young, entertaining team find themselves out in the clear and look well on course to win the club’s first ever Bundesliga crown.
Despite the loss of several key players last summer, Alonso has earned plaudits for the thrilling football that his team have played and his style should perfectly match the skillsets of this current Liverpool side.
Due to Alonso’s brilliant season with Levurkusen, he is very much a man in demand and has also been linked with a summer move to German rivals Bayern Munich.
With the race to acquire his services set to reach fever pitch over the next few weeks, Liverpool will need to pull out all of the stops to bring Alonso back to Anfield.
Ruben Amorim
Over the last few weeks, Ruben Amorim is a name that is getting a lot of attention. The current manager of Sporting Lisbon, Amorim has been heavily linked to Premier League jobs in the past, most notably with Tottenham back in the summer of 2023.
Whilst Amorim’s style of play is more defensively minded, he makes his teams hard to play against and they can often be devastating on the counter.
This current Liverpool team has earned a fierce reputation for being one of the best counter attacking teams in the world so Amorim’s style of play could be perfectly suited.
Although he doesn’t have the glamour of Alonso, he would be a savvy appointment.
Pep Ljinders
The surprise name on the list is current assistant boss Pep Ljinders. Having been with Klopp since the German took over at Anfield, Ljinders is in a great position to carry on the legacy that Klopp has built.
With knowledge of the league and of all the players within the current squad, the appointment of Ljinders would ensure that the effect of Klopp leaving could be minimal.
Ljinders would ensure that the style of play that both he and Klopp have implemented would be continued, however if Liverpool want to keep the Dutchman at the club they will need to act quickly as he is seen as the main managerial target for Dutch giants, Ajax.
Roberto De Zerbi
Whilst replacing Klopp certainly won’t be an easy task, one man who wouldn’t feel the pressure is current Brighton boss, Roberto De Zerbi.
Having taken the Brighton job in similar circumstances after taking over from Graham Potter, De Zerbi helped lead Brighton to their highest ever topflight finish and guided the seagulls into Europe for the very first time.
The Italian has earned praise for his tactical nous and has had Brighton playing some of the best football in the Premier League.
Looking destined for the very top, the only stumbling block in appointing the charismatic Italian is the hefty compensation fee that Brighton would demand.
Ange Postecoglou
Arguably the wildcard manager on the Liverpool shortlist is Ange Postecoglou.
Having joined Tottenham at the start of the 2023/2024 season, the enigmatic Australian seems to have turned Tottenham’s fortunes around and has them competing once again for Champions League football.
Although he may lack the natural charisma of Jurgen Klopp, wherever Postecoglou has gone he seems to have developed a tremendous rapport with both his players and the fans.
Very much his own man, Postecoglou wouldn’t be intimidated by the large shoes he would have to fill and he would bring with him a brand of football that most of Anfield would enjoy.
Although he is very much in the process of a rebuild at Tottenham, the lure of the Liverpool job could be too much to resist should the job be offered to him.
