Any manager replacing Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool will need more than an in-depth understanding of the tactical side of the game.
Most clubs like to think of themselves more as a ‘family’ than a sporting institution. But that rather tired old cliche rings a little truer when it comes to the 2020 Premier League champions. Jurgen Klopp is not only Liverpool’s finest head coach in decades, presiding over a period of unprecedented success in the modern era, but also the head of a proud footballing household.
The German’s eventual successor will not only be under pressure to replicate his colossal presence on the boardroom but in the community too. The Liverpool manager is not only a coach but also the face and the symbol of a world-wide supporter-base.
Who will replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool?
Is that a role Julian Nagelsmann can fill? Simon Jordan, the former Crystal Palace chairman-turned-talkSPORT regular, has his concerns. While Klopp enjoyed largely harmonious relations with the Liverpool bosses, the same cannot really be said of a man who was not afraid of publicly criticising his players while enduring a pretty tense relationship with some of those in the Bayern Munich boardroom.
“The zeitgeist on him is that he’s quite a difficult character to manage,” Jordan argues (29 March, 10am), Nagelsmann sacked by the German giants 12 months ago despite boasting a highly-impressive 71 per cent win rate.
“I’m not in the camp that (Liverpool should hire) a 36-year-old who was taken out of Munich. There were lots of observations about how difficult he was to work with. Liverpool is a club where the manager unites the playing squad and unites the players with the fans.
“I’m not sure Nagelsmann (can do that).”
Xabi Alonso is staying at Bayer Leverkusen
While Jordan is unlikely to be the only one questioning whether a man only four years older than Virgil van Dijk is ready to step into Klopp’s shoes, Nagelsmann’s age belies a vast experience. He’s had eight years in charge of top-flight clubs, and did remarkable work at Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig before guiding his boyhood club Bayern to the Bundesliga title in 2022.
Nagelsmann is currently in charge of the German national team but his short-term deal will expire after Euro 2024. His previously out-of-sorts side looked like a team transformed during the March international break, coming from behind to defeat the Netherlands while dispatching France with a swagger and a purpose seldom seen in recent years.
HITC Football understands that Liverpool will have to cast their net a little wider in pursuit of Klopp’s replacement. Xabi Alonso, their number one target, looks destined to stay at Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen for at least another year.
Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi is an option, while Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim is also under consideration.