The start of the new year saw Jurgen Klopp announce that he’ll be leaving Liverpool at the end of the 2023-24 season. This came as a huge shock, especially to the Anfield faithful. Since joining the club back in 2015, Klopp has successfully brought back the glory days to Liverpool, winning the UEFA Champions League, Premier League, FA CUP, FIFA World Cup, and various other trophies, so the natural assumption was that Klopp would want to continue his glittering managerial career with Liverpool for at least another few years. However, Klopp has stated that he is “running out of energy” and that now is the perfect time for him to bow out.

Who is Favourite to Replace Klopp?

Since the announcement, the betting odds surrounding the favourite to replace Klopp have chopped and changed. As of right now, Sporting CP coach Ruben Amorim is the new favourite to take over and has been listed with 4/5 odds by most major bookies listed on minimumdepositbettingsites.com. Some other big names are also in the mix, including Roberto De Zerbi and even Liverpool legend Fernando Torres, as you can see here:

⚡ Ruben Amorim: 4/5

⚡ Roberto De Zerbi: 5/1

⚡ Xabi Alonso: 8/1

⚡ Pep Lijnders: 12/1

⚡ Ange Postecoglou: 18/1

⚡ Fernando Torres: 18/1

⚡ Thomas Tuchel: 20/1

⚡ Graham Potter: 25/1

Currently, the Liverpool hierarchy are prioritising Ruben Amorim to replace Klopp, which is why all major bookies have him as the leading favourite. The reason why Liverpool now seem intent on Amorim is because he uses a high press and an extremely direct style of play, which is on-brand when it comes to the “heavy metal” football that Klopp has also adopted since arriving at Liverpool. Essentially, Amorim and Klopp are like-for-like, which is why many see Amorim as the ideal replacement for the Anfield legend.

The next favourite is Roberto De Zerbi, who has had a fantastic spell with Brighton ever since Graham Potter left them in 2022. Similar to Klopp, De Zerbi also likes to play a high press while utilising a double-pivot 4-2-3-1 formation, which has worked incredibly well for him since taking the reins at Brighton. However, Brighton have experienced a slight slump during the 2023-24 Premier League season, leaving many questioning if De Zerbi is truly the right man for such a huge job at Liverpool.

Back when Klopp first announced he was leaving Liverpool, Xabi Alonso was naturally one of the first names that Liverpool fans demanded. Despite being a new manager, Alonso has set the Bundesliga on fire with Bayer Leverkusen, leading them to the 2023-24 Bundesliga title and ending Bayern Munich’s 11-year title-winning run. And when you take into account that Alonso was a Liverpool legend as a player, it seems like a match made in heaven. However, Alonso shocked everyone last month when he announced he had no plans to leave Bayer Leverkusen and wants to “keep growing with the club”. Although Alonso could easily become Liverpool manager further down the line, it seems unlikely that it will happen for now.

Ange Postecoglou is another potential candidate to take over from Klopp, as their footballing philosophies very much align. The problem here, though, is Postecoglou has only recently joined Spurs and is unlikely to be tempted away by a move to Liverpool. Additionally, Fernando Torres, Thomas Tuchel, and Graham Potter are also in the mix, but are far from odds-on favourites to take over from Klopp.

Conclusion

The race to be the next Liverpool manager will likely continue into the summer. For now, the primary focus remains on Klopp and his Liverpool team trying to win the Premier League title for the last time before the Anfield legend walks away for good. Therefore, don’t expect an immediate announcement on Klopp’s replacement until at least June.