Replacement for Jurgen Klopp? Liverpool head coach calls Xabi Alonso an outstanding coach

Following Jurgen Klopp's announcement of his departure from Liverpool at the end of the season, former Liverpool player Xabi Alonso has been repeatedly linked with a role at Anfield. Currently, the team led by the 41-year-old specialist, Bayer Leverkusen, tops the Bundesliga, leading the reigning champions, Bayern Munich, by five points.

During an interaction with journalists, Jurgen Klopp remarked:

"Xabi is doing an incredible job."

Alonso spent five seasons at Liverpool from 2004 to 2009 and won the Champions League, FA Cup, Super Cup, and Community Shield before moving on to Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. The former midfielder took over at Leverkusen in 2022, and this season they remain unbeaten in all competitions - leading the Bundesliga and advancing to the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal and the round of 16 in the Europa League.

Alonso's success in Germany, including a recent 3-0 victory over title rivals Bayern, reportedly makes him one of the primary managerial targets for clubs across Europe, including Liverpool and Real Madrid.

Speaking to BBC on the matter, Jurgen Klopp said:

"His team is so well set up. He has made his mark on it.

The next generation [of coaches] is already there, and I would say Xabi is a standout personality in that respect.

He's a former world-class player, also from a coaching family, which helps a bit: he was already a coach when he was playing.

The football his team plays, the squads he forms, the transfers he makes — it's incredible. If you had asked me about Xabi Alonso eight weeks ago, I would have said, 'Oh my God!'.

With the 'dinosaurs,' if you want, [Carlo] Ancelotti, [Jose] Mourinho, [Pep] Guardiola, maybe we won't be able to compete in the next 20 years."

Recall that in January, Klopp made a shocking statement about leaving Liverpool in the summer after nine years, citing "diminishing energy."