Liverpool are taking their time to decide who should follow Jurgen Klopp and be their new manager.
It’s going to be incredibly difficult for the Reds to find a coach who’ll have anything like the impact Klopp has had at Anfield. Nevertheless, they’re having to try and bring in the next best thing.
For many, that was Xabi Alonso. The Spaniard has done an incredible job since taking over at Bayer Leverkusen in October 2022.
With his team now almost certain to win the Bundesliga title and end Bayern Munich’s 11-year monopoly, Alonso is the brightest young coach around. As a former Liverpool player too, it seemed a no-brainer to get him in.
But, Xabi had other ideas. The 42-year-old surprised the football world by turning down the chance to return to Liverpool – or Munich – and will stay at Leverkusen instead. That was a blow to the Reds who have had to move onto other targets. And now, one of those targets has suggested that he might follow Alonso’s lead.
What’s the latest in Liverpool’s manager search
Without any chance of luring Alonso back to Anfield, Ruben Amorim has been installed as the new favourite to take over from Klopp.
And although the 39-year-old has refused to ‘guarantee’ that he’ll stay with Sporting beyond this season, he hasn’t ruled it out either. It’s still up in the air.
Another who has joined Amorim as being at the forefront of Liverpool’s search is Bologna boss Thiago Motta.
Motta has been doing a terrific job at Bologna, leading them to fourth in the Serie A table. This has reportedly led to him being under discussion at Anfield as a candidate for them.
But after his agent publicly suggested that his future may lie away from the Renato Dall’Ara this week, Motta has now hit back, admitting that he has ‘all the conditions’ to succeed in Bologna.
“Are there the best conditions to work here? They’re different things, because when I was playing I changed a lot of clubs. Here I have all the conditions to work at my best, carrying on my passion,” the 41-year-old said via Tuttomercatoweb. “In Bologna I have all the things I need to give my best, starting with the boys.”
Will Thiago Motta stay at Bologna
For many, Amorim will now be the manager they want to see installed at Anfield this summer. However, we think Motta has a real case as well.
The former Barcelona midfielder has been doing brilliantly with an unfancied Bologna team for the past two years. He looks very much ready to make that next step.
One thing that may also hand him a slight advantage over Amorim is that he’s out of contract in the summer. As a result, he’d be completely free, there would be no discussions needed with the Italian club. There may be competition from other clubs, but there also is for Amorim.
For now, it seems as though Motta is yet to fully decide his future. Until we see an Alonso-style announcement on his part, he should remain in the frame for Liverpool.