A host of former Liverpool players have backed Jürgen Klopp to fill the vacant managerial position at Anfield…
Such is the way of the modern world, possible candidates to succeed Brendan Rodgers as Liverpool manager were being discussed long before the Northern Irishman was finally forced to bite the bullet on Sunday evening.
Carlo Ancelotti, Jürgen Klopp, Walter Mazzarri and Frank de Boer have all come under the microscope as viable options to jump into the Anfield hotseat with Rodgers failing to halt a decline that began last season.
Klopp, the out-of-work former Borussia Dortmund boss, has long been a popular choice amongst fans and it seems a raft of the ex-Reds who currently work within the media agree.
Erstwhile Sky Sports trio Jamie Carragher, Graeme Souness and Jamie Redknapp are amongst those to back the 48-year-old German for the post.
“If it was me, I would go for Klopp ahead of Ancelotti,” said Carragher, who played under Rodgers during the 2012-13 season before retiring. “I think he’s got more to prove. Liverpool is not an easy job now. Ancelotti is a great manager, but he’s gone to clubs where you’re expected to win trophies.
“It’s a difficult job now at Liverpool, getting back into the top four. Forget talking about the title. I think it needs someone with that energy and drive to get the club back to where it wants to be, and I think Jurgen Klopp is that man.”
Souness, who managed the Merseysiders between 1991 and 1994, added: “When you think about it logically, Ancelotti’s last three jobs were Chelsea, PSG and Real Madrid.
“They can go out and buy the best players in the world. They have more spending power that anyone else out there. So Klopp might be a better fit. At Dortmund, they continually lost their better players at the end of each season. So he might be a better fit, coming in and working with younger players.”
Speaking separately to the Super Sunday discussion involving Carragher and Souness, one-time Liverpool captain Jamie Redknapp described Klopp as ‘the perfect fit’.
“I think he could walk into Anfield and the fans would like that,” commented the 42-year-old to Sky Sports News HQ. “I’ve got a feeling that he would be the perfect fit for them. The fact that he’s available now makes me think they’ll go for Klopp.
“Obviously he’ll want to bring his own staff in. It’s difficult because you do need someone who understands the club and knows the fabric of how the club works. But I would certainly look at Jurgen Klopp.”
Elsewhere, Liverpool ECHO columnist and popular Anfield figure Jan Molby also welcomed the news that Klopp was the bookies favourite.
“It has to be Jurgen Klopp,” declared the ex-Reds midfielder. “He is the ideal man to take over from Brendan Rodgers. He has the credentials and, what’s more, he can make the fans believe in the team again.”
Klopp certainly appears to have an applicable CV after turning Dortmund into one of Europe’s leading sides before deciding to call time on his seven-year spell at the Westfalenstadion at the end of last season.
The former Mainz player and manager won back-to-back Bundesliga titles between 2010 and 2012, and guided Der BVB to the 2013 Champions League final, where they were beaten 2-1 by Bayern Munich.
So the pundits are seemingly backing Klopp but what do you think? Let us know your thoughts and opinions below or via social media…
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