A French source states that in November, Liverpool contacted Xabi Alonso in regards to Alonso taking over as manager of the club for the upcoming season.
Following Jurgen Klopp’s announcement in May that he will be stepping down from his position as manager of the Reds after eight and a half years in charge, Alonso has emerged as the clear favorite to replace him in the upcoming term.
Last month, Klopp delivered a heartfelt video address to his followers in which he announced his resignation as manager at the conclusion of the current season, citing a lack of energy as the reason.
The Reds have been slightly saddened by the German’s impending departure, but now they must choose a successor to the man who turned the club into a global football powerhouse again.
Foot Mercato states that this procedure started months ago, with initial contact supposedly established with the front-runner following Klopp’s clаndestine November announcement to the club.
The article states that Alonso, a former Liverpool player who was a member of the 2005 Champions League winning squad and played for the club from 2004 to 2009, is the club’s first choice for manager.
The 42-year-old is now managing Bayer Leverkusen, so getting a read on whether he may return to his previous club as manager is the first order of business. However, things become trickier from there.
With 16 wins and no losses in 20 games since taking over as manager last season, Alonso has led the club to the top of the Bundesliga table, two points ahead of Bayern Munich.
The former midfielder is reportedly content with his current club and committed to winning the league title; nevertheless, this does not rule out the possibility of a deal.
Alonso is reportedly on Liverpool’s shortlist of possible Klopp successors, according to Florian Plettenberg of Sky Germany. The Bundesliga leaders are aware of this.
According to reports, Leverkusen is still holding out hope that Alonso will remain a club member this summer. The Spaniard is apparently already involved in the team’s preparations for the upcoming season.
Even though this is Alonso’s first full season as a senior manager, he has already made a tremendous impression at Leverkusen. He played 210 games for Liverpool.
He took over in October 2022, when the club was in second-bottom position in the Bundesliga. Last season, they finished in sixth place, and this term, they have become one of the standout clubs in Europe.
German coach Julian Nagelsmann, Sporting’s Ruben Amorim, and Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi are among the other candidates.At the same time that they are starting to look for Klopp’s replacement, Liverpool’s owners FSG have hired a seasoned sports executive.
In his new role as “senior advisor” at FSG, Theo Epstein will be responsible for a wide range of sporting operations, including those of Liverpool, the Boston Red Sox (a baseball franchise), and the Pittsburgh Penguins (an NHL team), among others.
The 50-year-old had a successful run as president of the Chicago Cubs from 2011 to 2020 and then spent nearly a decade as CEO of the Boston Red Sox, during which time the team won two World Series.