9 months ago
116 Xabi Alonso is Liverpool’s top target to replace Jurgen Klopp in the summer, but if they can’t get him, they could turn to Roberto De Zerbi.
The Reds’ hunt for a new manager is underway after Klopp announced last month that he would be stepping down from his role at the end of the season. Alonso is the name on everyone’s mind, but De Zerbi could be next in line.
Roberto De Zerbi is one of the ‘prime favourites’ after Xabi Alonso to become Liverpool manager
Xabi Alonso has to be the favourite to become the next Liverpool manager.
The Spaniard is doing a remarkable job at Bayer Leverkusen, where he is eight points clear at the top of the Bundesliga table. He is one of the finest young managers in the world right now.
Liverpool would love Alonso, but reports have claimed this week that Bayern Munich want the 42-year-old to replace Thomas Tuchel at the end of the season.
If Alonso does not take the Liverpool job, the Reds will have to look for someone else, and journalist Dean Jones has claimed that Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi will be among the favourites to replace Jurgen Klopp at Anfield.
He told GiveMeSport: “Yeah, it’s interesting. At this stage already, I feel like it would be a disappointment to Liverpool if they didn’t end up with Xabi Alonso. But there are obviously other good candidates out there.
“When you consider the model, when you consider the type of manager that they might go for, Roberto De Zerbi does seem to tick a lot of the boxes. I think that for the fan base, he would be a manager who would make most of the fan base content that they were trying to continue in a particular vein, and he had a strategy and a philosophy that they could abide by and a personality that they could get behind.
“So I think that Roberto De Zerbi would be one of the prime favourites to take this job if Alonso does end up going elsewhere.”
A look at De Zerbi’s record at Brighton
Roberto De Zerbi has done a great job at Brighton and Hove Albion.
The Italian came to the Amex a few months after leaving Shakhtar Donetsk to replace Graham Potter, and he has taken the Seagulls to another level since.
The work De Zerbi has done has been evident with respect to Brighton’s style of play and player development, but his numbers are still a slight concern.
The 44-year-old has won just 35 of his 73 games as Brighton manager. He has managed just 16 wins out of a possible 34 this season as well.
That’s not awful considering the club he is at, but whether he is ready to fill Jurgen Klopp’s shoes at Liverpool is a completely different story.
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