Xabi Alonso’s decision to stay put at Bayer Leverkusen for another season could force Liverpool to look in a less obvious direction for their next manager.
The Spanish head coach could lift multiple pieces of silverware this season, with the club currently sitting 13 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga table.
“It has to be a possibility that Liverpool do bring in a manager some, or many, weren’t expecting, simply because the pool is so shallow in the sense of the obvious candidates not being there,” Neil Jones wrote in his exclusive EOTK Insider column.
“I’ve said previously even with Alonso that he was the best of a very risk-laden group. Every candidate that has been mentioned come with their own risks attached; be it personality, be it tactics, be it experience, be it recruitment record or associations with other clubs – they all come with a degree of risk. Even the proved ones of the past (like Carlo Ancelotti) would come with a risk if they’re replacing Jurgen Klopp because of how successful he’s been and the relationships he’s enjoyed. It’s very difficult to try and get the perfect fit at this time.
“What you can do is try and get someone with a pretty reliable record and a pretty reliable personality, plus a potential willingness to work within the structure that Liverpool are putting in place. That does lend itself to the idea that they might have someone in mind we haven’t given the time of day to.”
One (potentially) left-of-field option the Merseysiders could pursue this summer is Inter Milan’s Simone Inzaghi.
The 47-year-old has likewise inspired his outfit to new heights in Italy, with the Nerazzurri 14 points clear at the league summit.
“For instance, I am surprised Simone Inzaghi’s name doesn’t pop up more when talking about the clubs that need new managers, not just Liverpool. You look at Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Chelsea, among others. You see the work Inzaghi has done taking Inter to a Champions League final last year (which they very narrowly lost), romping away with the Serie A title this season and playing some wonderful football as well.”
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Should Liverpool recruit from Italy?
The former Lazio striker’s record with Inter Milan has been particularly exemplary, winning multiple domestic cups since 2021.
Most notably, however, Inzaghi managed to guide his side to a Champions League final in his second season in charge and looks set to secure their first league title since 2020/21.
A quick glance at Inter’s stats indicates that we’d be getting an attacking-minded manager who doesn’t neglect the defensive side of the game.
FootyStats have the Serie A side down as scoring 2.15 goals per game this term (compared to Liverpool’s 2.6) and conceding 0.56 per game (compared to Liverpool’s 1).
Impressive stats that surely must be hitting the mark somewhere on the map of our data analysts.