Jurgen Klopp will be hoping for one last European comeback on Thursday night as his Liverpool side go to Italy to face Atalanta in the Europa League – as work continues on finding his Anfield successor.
Klopp will of course, be leaving at the end of the season. Xabi Alonso was initially the favourite to take over but he will be staying at Leverkusen, having won the Bundesliga last weekend – 16 points clear.
So, who takes over now? The front-runners include Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim, Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi and Germany gaffer Julian Nagelsmann. The latter will take his country into Euro 2024.
Amorim looks a likely contender but whether he is ready to go from Sporting to Anfield remains to be seen. De Zerbi has excelled at Brighton, and has completed that stepping stone in the Premier League.
Neil Jones discusses shock Liverpool move for 52-year-old
Nagelsmann has worked at the highest level already, but only ever in Germany. All three managers have their positives, and their flaws. It remains to be seen if there will be any other names in the Liverpool mix.
But Liverpool journalist Neil Jones has been speaking to Redmen TV about a possible move for Aston Villa’s impressive gaffer, Unai Emery. He says the 52-year-old’s stock is just as high as anyone else’s.
“I’d be interested to know what fans would think of Unai Emery. If you can get Aston Villa playing that way, they are overachieving where they are at this time. He is some coach and some manager,” he said.
“His Arsenal record might colour it for some people, but he still got them to a European final. If you’re talking about pedigree and what have you got in your back pocket, he is as well stocked as anyone.”
What Emery would do if Liverpool made move for Villa manager
Emery is a top, top manager – and he is thriving in his role as Villa boss. He is guiding Villa into the top four, and to a possible European trophy in the form of the Europa Conference League this season.
Stiliyan Petrov though, does not believe Emery would say yes – even if a move to Anfield materialised. He thinks the power he has, the money he has to spend and the job security at Villa will see him stay put.
If Liverpool do come calling, it will be interesting to see what Emery does but if he does say no – it is going to be an expensive summer for Villa, they will have to spend big to reward Emery for loyalty.
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