9 months ago
170 Danny Murphy is convinced that Liverpool are going to hire Xabi Alonso to replace Jurgen Klopp this summer.
The Spaniard seems like the obvious choice for Liverpool at the moment as they prepare for life without Jurgen Klopp.
Xabi Alonso is enjoying an exceptional campaign with Bayer Leverkusen so far and is yet to taste defeat in the Bundesliga after 21 games played.
Leverkusen currently sit five points clear at the top and are in a brilliant position to end Bayern Munich’s 11-year dominance of the German top flight.
His work certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed at Anfield, with recent reports suggesting Liverpool have already made first contact with Alonso over a move to Merseyside.
And while Danny Murphy believes Alonso ‘doesn’t tick every box’ for Liverpool, he feels the Spaniard will land the job this summer.
Murphy believes Alonso will land Liverpool job
“I think in an ideal world, you would want a manager to come and take over from Jurgen Klopp to have a bigger body of work, even if he wins the Bundesliga,” Murphy told talkSPORT.
“Like any footballer, you can have a purple patch, you can have a wonderful season, and vice versa in management.
“You want a manager coming in who has had a body of work, had success all over the place, and has every chance of doing what Klopp has done.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think that candidate is out there and stands out. So, what you do next, you go to the next box, which is to somebody who is potentially able to do that and has the capabilities.
“A bit like buying a good young footballer who looks like he is going to be a world-beater. Alonso, at the moment, for what he is doing at Bayer Leverkusen, in the style in which he is doing, it looks like a super young coach with lots of qualities.
“He has a team playing for him; he’s got a nice style, is easy on the eye, very articulate, calm, and has been at Liverpool before.
“He ticks a lot of boxes, but he does not tick them all. The problem you have is that nobody does, especially who I can think of.
“That’s why I say I think Alonso is going to get the gig, and probably rightly so, in my opinion. Following Jurgen Klopp in any way is going to be difficult and a risk.
“Managing Liverpool football club is very different from managing Leverkusen, because although they are a successful club, they are a much smaller club with less pressure, not even the biggest club in their own country.
“So, it’s a different pressure. Though Alonso has exceeded expectations, you have to suggest he is doing something really right.
“The thing is with Liverpool now, when Klopp goes, the hole that will be left, especially in the short term, is getting the fans on board, and they absolutely loved Alonso anyway.
“So, it is not just about his age; even if he were a bit older, did not have loads of trophies, and had been doing okay for more years, I would still believe he’d be a good candidate.
“The way he conducts himself as well, he is not really the Mikel Arteta and Klopp-type jumping up and down on the touchline. Maybe he will be by the time he gets to Liverpool and the stress gets to him!
“But I think everything about him screams of good things, and I don’t see someone else getting the job.”
Alonso has already made quite the impression in his short managerial career and has been lauded as ‘extraordinary’ by Jose Mourinho.
While he still lacks experience, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more exciting up-and-coming manager in Europe right now.
He ticks plenty of boxes for the Reds and as a former Liverpool player who won the Champions League with the club, his appointment would go down well with supporters.
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