Didi Hamann has suggested that one reported candidate to succeed Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager would jump at the opportunity if it’s offered to him.
The 50-year-old’s former Reds teammate Xabi Alonso appears to be among the frontrunners to be handed the reins at Anfield as the long-serving German’s replacement, based on the outstanding job he’s doing at Bayer Leverkusen.
Speaking on The Stand with Eamon Dunphy, Hamann claimed that the Spaniard would find the chance to manage LFC too hard to turn down, especially if the timing falls right for him.
The ex-Germany midfielder said of Alonso: “I think if Liverpool come calling, I think it’s very hard to turn down, even though he follows in Klopp’s footsteps. But the thing is, sometimes the big clubs, they only come once.
“If somebody [else] comes in in the summer and does well, the job might not be on offer for five or six years, or maybe nine years if they find another Klopp. If Liverpool come calling, I think he’ll take it.”
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Hamann makes a very good point about this summer potentially being Alonso’s one big opportunity to return to Liverpool as a manager, following his stellar five-year spell as a Reds player in the 2000s.
The 42-year-old’s reputation has soared off the back of his work with Leverkusen, but we’ve seen plenty of managers go from being everyone’s flavour of the month to unwanted castaways in the past.
Think back to 2022, when Graham Potter’s magnificent time in charge of Brighton earned him a crack at the Chelsea job, only for his beleaguered spell at Stamford Bridge to see his stock plummet.
Likewise, Steven Gerrard may have seemed like hot managerial property after he led Rangers to an unbeaten Scottish Premiership title triumph three years ago, but his ailing fortunes at Aston Villa and now Al-Ettifaq have realistically ruled him out of the running to take over from Klopp.
The Liverpool job looks like it’ll become available at the perfect time for Alonso, who’ll surely know in the back of his mind that he may never get that opportunity again if another candidate proves hugely successful, or if his own reputation takes a hit at another club after Leverkusen.
No matter who follows Klopp, they’ll have an incredibly hard act to follow, but the former Reds midfielder would likely be given a greater backing by the Kop than anyone else to take on that enormous challenge.
It is not just the manager post that need to be managed. The asst mgr and the whole staff need to be looked into. The person must be able to get cooperation from the kitchen, the coaching staff, medical team, players, academy, the management and most of sll the supporters and the fans.
Alonso to my mind is a perfect fit. He has always carried himself well and knows the city, the fans and the expectations. He knows the Liverpool way. He has shown great ability in his short managerial career and is young enough to take the pressures in his stride.
There is no one like Kloop. Should have at least left his assistant Llinders