Journalist Neil Jones has named the boss he is a little bit surprised to have not seen be more heavily linked with the Liverpool manager’s job ahead of the summer.
Of course, there remains a major question mark over who exactly will become the next Liverpool manager, with Jurgen Klopp gearing up to step aside at the end of the season.
Unsurprisingly, a host of names have been in the frame.
At one stage, it was claimed that Xabi Alonso had agreed to take over at Liverpool. However, those reports proved to be wide of the mark, with Alonso opting to stay at Bayer Leverkusen.
Ruben Amorim now appears to be the top target at this stage. Amorim is doing an outstanding job with Sporting. And if Alonso is not going to return to Anfield, then Amorim would arguably be a popular choice with many fans.
For much of Klopp’s tenure however, there was probably one name most would have expected to lead the race when the time came for the German to leave.
Journalist surprised 43-year-old has been more heavily linked with Liverpool manager’s job
Steven Gerrard‘s managerial career could have hardly got off to a better start. Rangers ended their wait for a Scottish Premiership title under his leadership. And it was a particularly important title as it stopped Celtic winning a 10th in a row.
Gerrard however, struggled when he then went to Aston Villa. And he is now working out in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ettifaq.
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty ImagesThere is no question that his stock has fallen considerably since Rangers’ title win. However, speaking on The Redmen TV, Neil Jones admitted that he still expected to see more links following Klopp’s announcement.
“I am little bit surprised, maybe a little bit surprised we haven’t seen Steven being positioned, or even positioning himself a little bit and saying ‘well, don’t forget about me. Okay, you can accept I had a bad time at Villa and went to Saudi Arabia and a little bit out of sight to the mainstream’,” he said.
“Don’t forget Jurgen anointed him, I think he basically said he will be the next Liverpool manager, or he will be a future Liverpool manager. So I am little bit surprised that there’s been no talk about him in there, even from his side.”
Job has come up at the wrong time for Steven Gerrard
Liverpool fans would probably love nothing more than for Gerrard to come back and be a success. However, there is a massive question mark over whether he would be a success if he got the job.
The Celtic side he beat to the title were in disarray under Neil Lennon. And it is quite something that Unai Emery has got so much from Villa so quickly. Gerrard left with the side only out of the relegation zone due to goals scored just 18 months ago.
It is hard to know what to make of the job he has done in Saudi Arabia while the league is still trying to create some sort of identity.
Liverpool are facing one of the biggest decisions in the club’s recent history. And what they will surely be keeping in mind is that if Gerrard did not have that connection to the Reds, there is surely no chance that he would be a contender right now.
The post 'Little bit surprised': Journalist expected 43-year-old boss to be more heavily linked with Liverpool job appeared first on TBR Football.