5️⃣ potential replacements for Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool | OneFootball

How do you replace the irreplaceable?

That’s the task facing Liverpool this summer, following the bombshell news on Friday that legendary manager Jürgen Klopp will be stepping down the at the end of the current season.

Here are five managers who could potentially replace Klopp at the Anfield helm. Let us know in the comments who YOUR choice would be.

The obvious choice

Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso would be the perfect candidate for the role.

Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen have been one of the best performing teams in Europe this season and currently lead Bayern Munich by four points at the top of the Bundesliga table.

A keen student of the game, the Spaniard is an excellent tactical and technical coach in the Klopp mould, and he knows the Reds well from his five years at the club as a player.

Winning the Bundesliga title and returning triumphantly to Anfield would surely be the dream scenario for Liverpool fans.

The best alternative

If for some reason Liverpool are unable to wrangle Alonso, Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi should be next on their list.

The Italian has overachieved since taking charge of the Seagulls in September 2022, and his teams play a style of football that is admired by anyone who knows anything about the beautiful game.

De Zerbi is also used to working with a limited budget and forging diamonds in the rough, which would really come in handy were he to take over at Anfield.

If Liverpool don’t hire him this summer, another big club soon will.

The second chance

Unai Emery’s disappointing spell as Arsenal manager a few years ago might well be enough to put Liverpool off hiring him.

But the Spaniard’s successful-so-far spell at Aston Villa has made fools of those who wrote him off following his previous stint in the Premier League, and it would be interesting to see how he would do if put in charge of another elite club again.

Emery has made Villa Park a fortress this season and got his team punching above their weight. They are fourth in the league at the time of writing and still have an outside chance of challenging for the title, with a top four finish looking well within their sights too.

Give him a go and he might just surprise you.

The fellow countryman

If Liverpool decide to keep it German when Klopp goes, Julian Nagelsmann is surely the obvious target.

The 36-year-old was on an upward trajectory until he was rather harshly sacked by Bayern Munich in March last year, leaving the club with a 71.4% win rate and a Bundesliga title under his belt.

Thomas Tuchel’s struggles during his time in charge at the Allianz Arena have arguably painted Nagelsmann’s tenure in an even better light since.

Nagelsmann is now in charge of the German national team and will guide them through this summer’s European Championship on home soil.

What the future holds for him after that remains to be seen, but he seems more suited to the club game, and would be a nice fit at Anfield if they were to take a punt on him.

The hopeless romantic’s choice

It wasn’t that long ago that Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard was being touted as the natural successor to Klopp.

But since winning the Scottish Premiership title with Rangers and moving to Aston Villa, Gerrard’s stock has fallen drastically.

The ex-England midfielder was sacked by Villa in October 2022 after winning just two of their first 12 games last season, and has since moved to Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ettifaq.

Despite signing Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum last summer, Gerrard’s side are currently languishing in mid-table in the Saudi Pro League, and have since lost Henderson to Ajax.

Their lamentable form didn’t stop the club recently extending their coach’s contract by another two years, but while that wouldn’t stop him moving to Liverpool, his former club would surely be insane to hire him at this point in his career.

Let us know in the comments who YOUR choice would be.