Premier League
Next Liverpool manager: Current favourites to replace Jurgen Klopp
There’s been plenty of speculation around who will take the reins as Liverpool manager next season after Jurgen Klopp announced his summer departure from the Anfield dugout earlier this year.
With no candidate yet to be locked in, we take a look at the frontrunners for the job below.
Xabi Alonso – 4/6
Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso is slowly turning his side’s dream of winning their first ever Bundesliga title into reality week by week, with his team now the odds-on favourites to upstage Bayern Munich’s 11-year totalitarian rule in the German first division.
Speaking of odds-on, Alonso is likewise the firm frontrunner at 4/6 to take over at Liverpool, having anchored the Reds’ midfield during his career as a player. He’d be an immediate fan favourite and most likely be given time to even remotely match the imperious standards set by Klopp during his tenure at Anfield.
Ruben Amorim – 5/1
Ruben Amorim is the latest thirty-something Portuguese manager on everyone’s lips following his success with Sporting Lisbon over the past four seasons. After leading the Lions to their first Liga NOS title in 19 years in 2021, Amorim has slowly fine-tuned his tactical approach to make Sporting one of the easiest sides on the eye around Europe at the moment – a factor which has led to their lead at the top of the Portuguese First division this season.
Whether Amorim is ready for the challenge of the Premier League – let alone the keys to Anfield – remains to be answered – but with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United reportedly sniffing around, Liverpool may be wise to move early for the 39-year-old before any of their rivals swoop in first. He is deemed the second favourite at 5/1 to be given the role.
Pep Lijnders – 7/1
Perhaps Liverpool could turn a lot closer to home and promote current assistant manager Pep Lijnders to the head coach role. Lijnders will have commanded the respect of the Anfield changing room after assisting Jurgen Klopp with his Champions League and Premier League wins – just to name a few – and will be familiar with the tactics that Klopp spent almost a decade trying to implement into the side.
He of course lacks the managerial experience required to immediately go head-to-head with the likes of Manchester City and Pep Guardiola in a Premier League title race, but with the selection of experienced candidates across Europe relatively sparse, Lijnders’ odds of 7/1 suggest the Reds may consider him to be a serious contender.
Roberto De Zerbi – 7/1
Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi is the only selection in the top seven in the betting to be currently employed by a Premier League club. The Italian has wowed the English topflight with his sensational brand of attacking football, taking Brighton to an unprecedented Europa League finish and winning at the Emirates and Stamford Bridge in his first season.
He certainly possesses the fire and passion on the sidelines required to channel the energy of the Anfield crowd, and while he has never worked at a supposed ‘big club’ before, his defiant character suggests he isn’t one to be phased by any challenge thrown at him.
