Liverpool are still considering candidates to succeed Jurgen Klopp as their manager.
The Reds have been looking for the ideal replacement for Klopp ever since he announced his decision to leave back in January.
Xabi Alonso had looked all set to be the primary choice, but the Spaniard has since surprisingly ruled himself out. Liverpool must now look at other options.
In fairness to the Reds, Alonso wasn’t their only candidate, with plenty of other names mentioned right from the beginning. For the moment, Sporting’s Ruben Amorim appears to be the leading contender, but he isn’t alone in the running.
Roberto De Zerbi is another who’s been heavily linked with the vacancy, although doubt has since been expressed over how seriously he’s being considered. Either way, Liverpool are getting ready to ramp their search up even further.
Liverpool mulling over five man shortlist
Along with Alonso, Amorim and De Zerbi are the two who have been most regularly tipped to be in Liverpool’s crosshairs.
However, they’re far from being the only ones in the mix. According to journalist Ben Jacobs, the Reds are still choosing from as many as five candidates. Writing in The Daily Briefing yesterday, Jacobs claimed that Liverpool are now aiming to whittle down that quintet to get a ‘final shortlist.’
“Ruben Amorim is a leading contender after Xabi Alonso confirmed he is staying at Bayer Leverkusen,” the reporter explains. “And like Amorim, Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi also scored quite highly when Liverpool used data to create a longlist of options. They are now working out who makes the final shortlist.
“De Zerbi hasn’t been approached to date and is not necessarily favourite at this point. That’s not really how Liverpool work either. They will be thorough and keep an open mind rather than being reliant on any one candidate before they have completed their process. This is the sign of a well-run club, as is how discreet they are at handling these type of situations.
“I don’t think anything is certain yet with Liverpool since they are only starting to narrow down the list of names now with a view to finalising someone before the season ends. That makes this month important. Liverpool have also discussed Inter’s Simone Inzaghi, but the Serie A side want him to sign a new deal. Bologna’s Thiago Motta, who is doing an excellent job, and Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann have also been spoken about internally.”
Who is not in the running
As well as the five of Amorim, De Zertbi, Inzaghi, Motta and Nagelsmann, more have been mentioned sporadically.
Perhaps the most notable is Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou. The Australian has actually been named today as the coach who would most resemble Klopp for Liverpool, but he seemingly isn’t in the running.
Neither is Thomas Frank, who had previously been put forward as a possible option. So too had Lens’ Franck Haise, while the likes of Paulo Fonseca, Hansi Flick and Thomas Tuchel don’t seem to stand a chance despite all being available.
From here, we’d now be stunned if it’s anyone other than the five named by Jacobs. Amorim looks like the man to be honest, but we’re going to die on the hill that it should be Motta. Whatever Liverpool decide, it won’t be long before we find out.