Jurgen Klopp sent shockwaves through the footballing world on January 26, as the German manager announced he would be leaving Liverpool at the end of the 2023-24 season.
In a video posted on the Reds’ social media, Klopp claimed that while the announcement will come as a surprise, he is simply running out of energy.
That is understandable. After all, the 56-year-old has been in the demanding position of managing Liverpool since 2015 — and he has achieved everything possible at Anfield.
Klopp has won six major trophies with Liverpool, which currently ranks him as the fourth most successful boss in the club’s history, but he has the chance to better that before he leaves.
The Reds are top of the Premier League at the time of writing, have booked their place in the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea, and are still in the Europa League and FA Cup.
Whoever takes over from Klopp in the Anfield dugout will have big boots to fill, so let’s look at some of the favourites to become the next Liverpool manager in the football odds today.
Xabi Alonso
Once an icon in a Liverpool shirt, helping the Reds win the Champions League and FA Cup during his five years at Anfield, Xabi Alonso’s stock has risen massively as manager since he took over German outfit Bayern Leverkusen.
The Spaniard stepped in at the BayArena with Leverkusen as a relegation candidate, but instantly changed their fortunes — securing a sixth-place finish in the Bundesliga and reaching the final of the Europa Conference League, which Leverkusen ultimately lost to Roma.
This season has seen further improvement, as Alonso’s men are top of the German top flight and hold a comfortable lead of four points over Bayern Munich at the time of writing as they seek their first-ever Bundesliga success.
With deep knowledge of the ins and outs of the club and an exciting start to his managerial career, most Liverpool fans would agree that Alonso is the perfect candidate to take over from Klopp come the end of season.
Roberto De Zerbi
A manager who has attracted plenty of attention since he arrived in England, Roberto De Zerbi is doing an admirable job with Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Italian joined Brighton from Shakhtar Donetsk in September 2022 following Graham Potter’s departure to Chelsea and has taken the Seagulls up another notch.
Brighton finished sixth last season under De Zerbi as they secured European football for the first time in their history, and they have performed well in the Europa League having topped their group.
It seems only a matter of time before the 44-year-old is snapped up by one of the Premier League’s so-called ‘Big Six’, and Liverpool could potentially have first dibs on him should they wish to make their move this summer.
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Klopp’s assistant Pepijn Lijnders, who has been the German’s number two since 2018, was initially touted as a potential successor. However, he very quickly ruled himself out of the running by revealing that he would also be leaving.
Julian Nagelsman, who is currently the head coach of the German national team and has been linked with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea in the past, and Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou are both 14/1.
Other outsiders include RB Leipzig’s Marco Rose, Italy manager Luciano Spalletti, Luis Enrique, and former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard.
