Liverpool are getting closer to having to pull the trigger on who succeeds Jurgen Klopp next season.
After last night’s woeful Europa League defeat against Atalanta, it’s likely that the Reds have just eight more games to play under Klopp’s stewardship.
As a result, the search for the 56-year-old’s replacement has to begin entering its final stages.
There had been reports earlier this week that that had indeed already happened. Sporting manager Ruben Amorim had reportedly agreed a deal to take over at Anfield. But with the 39-year-old since denying any such arrangement, things have rumbled on.
That Amorim hasn’t yet been tied down – and may not even be Liverpool’s first choice – leaves the door open for other candidates. And after their awful result yesterday, another name has been thrown into the mix for the Reds.
Liverpool told to consider Gian Piero Gasperini
Liverpool got a view into what a good tactician Gian Piero Gasperini is at Anfield yesterday. The Italian manager outwitted Klopp in just about every aspect.
It was the culmination of eight years of great work from Gasperini at Atalanta and will likely go down in history at the Bergamo side.
After the game, Italian football expert and journalist James Horncastle suggested to TNT Sports that the 66-year-old should be under consideration to succeed Klopp at Liverpool.
“There’s a big vacancy here in the summer and that guy, Gian Piero Gasperini, doesn’t get talked about. In over eight years he’s probably punched above his weight per his resources more than any other coach. I think he should be in the conversation for more of these jobs.
“We’ve spent the last month, six weeks talking about Xabi Alonso coming here, Amorim coming here. This guy beat Amorim home and away at Sporting. He went four games against them unbeaten.
“He’s shown that he can build and rebuild teams, he’s been there eight years. Three different teams he’s had [at Atalanta] now.”
Should Liverpool look at Gian Piero Gasperini
In our opinion, Gasperini is a very good coach very well suited to the job he’s in now. Frankly, we’re not convinced that he’d last two minutes at Liverpool.
There’s little question that he’s done unbelievably well at Atalanta. And last night – and his whole body of work at La Dea – has shown that he can mix it with some of the biggest names in management. But it’s also true that he’s never finished higher than third in Serie A while taking charge of four different teams.
Of course, having tended to lead smaller sides, that doesn’t paint the whole picture for Gasperini. As Horncastle says, he’s often punched above his weight. But when in charge of a club like Liverpool, that is not the remit. High finishes are expected and trophies should be collected along with that.
For all his brilliance, Gasperini’s tangible achievements as a coach are as follows: Coppa Italia runners-up on two occasions. Sorry, but that isn’t a manager who should be on his way to Liverpool.