Jürgen Klopp's assistant sensationally linked with Arsenal job | OneFootball

Liverpool assistant manager Željko Buvač has incredibly been linked with the Arsenal job.

Buvač has been by Klopp’s side ever since his foray into management with Mainz back in 2001.

The Bosnian Serb has left Liverpool until the end of the season, with rumours of a rift between the pair appearing on Monday. Liverpool said Buvač’s absence is due to personal reasons.

However, Bosnian outlet Pravda now say he is taking time off to ‘recharge his batteries’ before replacing outgoing Arsenal boss Arsène Wenger in north London.

Interestingly, Pravda were the first source to say Klopp and Buvač had agreed a move to Anfield, announcing the deal in October 2015 a day before Brendan Rodgers left Anfield.

Buvač played alongside Klopp for Mainz during the 1990s and the duo have been together ever since, with Klopp referring to his assistant as ‘the brain’ behind the tactics that saw Mainz promoted, Borussia Dortmund crowned Bundesliga champions, and now have Liverpool on the brink of a Champions League final.

A move into management would, though, come as an enormous shock. The 56-year-old has always avoided the limelight, with those close to Dortmund saying that he despises the attention that can come with a high profile role.

After over a decade with such a mindset, would now be the time to enter management? And to replace a 22-year manager at a club like Arsenal, where the scrutiny is set to be enormous?

It would take an incredible change in Buvač’s approach to the game and his lifestyle to suddenly step into the spotlight.

Liverpool insist they expect Klopp’s assistant to return to the club next season.