Liverpool are believed to be “considering” appointing a title-winning manager to replace Jurgen Klopp, emerging as a “surprising” new rival to Ruben Amorim.
Who is the favourite to replace Klopp?
Klopp will leave at the end of the season, citing tiredness as a key reason for his decision, and the longer this season goes on, the more it feels as though both he and his team have run out of steam – Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at home to Crystal Palace in the Premier League epitomised that.
Replacing the German is going to be a thankless task for FSG, however, and while it looked as though Xabi Alonso was the natural replacement at the end of the season, he has since committed his future to Bayer Leverkusen for the time being.
Because of that, Amorim has now emerged as the strong favourite to come in for Klopp at Liverpool, with the 39-year-old standing out as one of Europe’s top young coaches – one who is on the verge of inspiring Sporting CP to Primeira Liga title glory for the second time. It has been reported that a “verbal agreement” is in place between the Reds and the Portuguese, but the young coach himself has disputed that.
While it seems clear that he is now the major front-runner to take this talented Liverpool team forward, there is still no absolute guarantee that he will be FSG’s pick. Other names could still emerge as contenders, and one such figure has now been thrown into the mix.
Liverpool eye Niko Kovac as surprise new candidate
According to a fresh claim from The Daily Mail, Liverpool are eyeing former Bayern Munich boss Niko Kovac this summer, seeing him as an alternative to Amorim.
The Croatian is described as a “surprise name under consideration” by the Reds, and he is “available after leaving Wolfsburg earlier this season”. The report also states that his representatives “have been in London recently and are understood to have sounded out Premier League clubs ahead of potential managerial changes this summer”.
Kovac is an interesting option for Liverpool, proving to be a winner in the past after guiding Bayern to the Bundesliga title back in 2018/19, as well as winning two German Cups during his time in charge.
Known for often adopting a 4-2-3-1 formation, the 52-year-old admittedly hasn’t done as much during spells at Monaco and Wolfsburg since his Bayern days, however, being sacked by the latter last month, which does raise doubts over his worth at Liverpool.
The Reds need to nail their appointment this summer, and while Klopp is admittedly almost impossible to replace, Amorim does feel like the most likely available choice to make the biggest impact at Anfield.
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He is a younger option than Kovac – one who is thriving in a job currently and being touted as a future great in his profession, so suddenly bringing in the ex-Bayern man instead would feel like a big risk.
