Neither Alonso nor De Zerbi: Liverpool target surprise top name

Jurgen Klopp will be leaving his position as Liverpool manager at the conclusion of the season. It will mark the end of an era that has been almost nine years long.

The German shocked everyone last weekend when he broke the news to the media. He explained that he couldn’t keep on with the job because his energy levels were exhausted. The fact that he extended his contract a few years ago to 2026 does not stop him from leaving.

Since November, upon learning of his intentions, the Reds have been diligently working to find a replacement for the German. This comes as Liverpool prepares to challenge for a historic quadruple in Klopp‘s last months as manager.

After thrashing Chelsea 4-1 at Anfield to go five points ahead atop the Premier League, he has advanced to the Carabao Cup final. The German manager may be able to go on a high note since the club still has a shot of winning the FA Cup and the Europa League.

The obvious front-runner for the position is Xabi Alonso, the head coach of Bayer Leverkusen and a former Liverpool player. Nevertheless, the Premier League giants may face competition from Real Madrid and Bayern Munich for the services of the Spaniard.

According to reports, the Bundesliga leaders also hopeful of keeping Alonso for the 2024-25 season. Therefore, Liverpool are not risking losing their top target if they commit all of their management resources to signing him. Another formidable contender is Roberto De Zerbi, the manager of Brighton.

New top name alongside Alonso emerges for Liverpool

The most prominent names in the race for the position are Alonso and De Zerbi. In the meantime, rumors in Portugal have circulated that Ruben Amorim of Sporting Lisbon may replace Klopp.

With his lively style of play and keen tactical sense, the 39-year-old guided Sporting CP to the 2021 Primeira Liga championship. He has since garnered extensive praise for these qualities.

The Portuguese is now under contract until 2026. Thus, if Liverpool were to make an offer, they would have to cough up a significant penny to release him.

If the Reds were to buy out Amorim’s existing contract, they would have to pay $21.6 million. However, this provision wouldn’t be applicable until the season ended, as per Correio da Manha.

In the event that a competing Portuguese team attempted to sign him, that clause would increase to a mouth-watering $32.4 million.

What did Amorim say about his summer plans?

Securing Ruben Amorim’s services this summer may become a lot less of a challenge if he ends up being the first choice. At a news conference, the 39-year-old was quite forthright in admitting that he would leave the Lions if they failed to win any championships.

 “Obviously, if we don’t win titles, I’ll go out on my own. But that was already our conversation always. Not because we can’t win, but because two years in a row without winning titles can’t happen.

“It doesn’t change anything, we’re simply prepared for the game and we know exactly what Casa Pia wants to do. We need the ball to start rolling to get into what we want to do”, he told Record.

Photo credits: IMAGO / Maciej Rogowski : IMAGO / Eibner