The 'outstanding' candidate to succeed Klopp at Liverpool revealed

Tom Weber

• Updated: 27 Jan 2024 16:35 GMT
• 3 min read

Liverpool expert and Sky reporter Melissa Reddy would be 'staggered' if anyone other than Xabi Alonso were to succeed Reds boss Jurgen Klopp.

The Liverpool manager shockingly announced on Friday that he will step down from his post at the end of the current campaign despite still being under contract until 2026. The German explained his decision by stating that he is "running out of energy" and there is even talk that Klopp could leave the football business altogether.

Naturally, speculation about his potential successor has abounded in the wake of the news, with the incoming boss facing a herculean task to even come close to matching what Klopp achieved over the past nine years. The likes of Roberto de Zerbi, Julian Nagelsmann and ex-Reds midfielder Xabi Alonso have all been touted as potential options.

FootballTransfers explained on Friday that Bayer Leverkusen boss Alonso would be the ideal candidate for Liverpool and Sky Sports reporter Melissa Reddy seems to agree.

What did Reddy say?

“Alonso is the outstanding candidate and I would be staggered if it wasn’t him,” the Liverpool expert said on Sky. “I think for a number of reasons. The pedigree that he has in the game, the respect that he commands."

“How well he is doing at Leverkusen, the playing philosophy, the profile of players he’s working with and the [financial] constraints he’s working under and still being able to battle with Bayern very well on that front. I think the only way it doesn’t happen is if he decides it’s perhaps too soon for him."

“But I think the scale of the opportunity and the fact that if you look at all the candidates, the one who walks in and has the most gravitas and has the most suitability to that role right now and for what that team looks like at the end of the season, is Xabi.”