Jurgen Klopp, the German coach, has announced that he would leave Liverpool at the end of the 2023-24 season, which has shocked the football world. However, the search for an answer to another major question has already begun: who will succeed Klopp?
Liverpool has not decided on Klopp, who has been in command of the Anfield team since October 2015, but he still has a few months to choose a new manager. Former Liverpool player Xabi Alonso could be the top contender to succeed Klopp. After Bayer Leverkusen’s great success in the Bundesliga this season, he emerged as the leading contender.
42-year-old Alonso was a key midfielder for Spain when they won the World Cup in 2010 and the European Championship in 2008 and 2012. He appeared in 210 appearances for Liverpool between 2004 and 2009. During that time, he won the Champions League, FA Cup, and UEFA Super Cup.
Alonso, who formerly played for Real Sociedad, Eibar, Real Madrid, and German giants Bayern Munich, retired from football in 2017 to become a coach. He has also won titles in the Spanish La Liga and the German Bundesliga.
After managing Real Madrid’s junior team and Real Sociedad’s B team in Segunda B, Spain’s third tier, he made his debut with Bayer Leverkusen in Germany in October 2022. Last August, he agreed to stay with Leverkusen until 2026.
Currently leading the Bundesliga, Leverkusen sits four points ahead of defending champions Bayern Munich. He is unbeaten, having scored 48 points in 18 games. He has only shared points with Bayern, Borussia Dortmund, and VFB Stuttgart.
