If these are the final knockings of the Jurgen Klopp era at Liverpool, that they might be the best yet is quite the prospect for a fanbase whose expectations are growing.
Having fist-bumped his way around each corner of Anfield after a 4-1 smiting of Luton Town on Wednesday night, the Reds manager must have walked off from his stirring of the 60,000-strong crowd wondering exactly why he has decided to call time on his decorated tenure.
When a red-hot Anfield is at its raucous, feral best like it was for the second half of that victory earlier this week, it would be entirely understandable if Klopp was at least privately lamenting his call to walk away.
But anyone hoping for a famous U-turn in the mould of Alex Ferguson’s reversal at Manchester United over two decades ago will be left feeling disappointed. In the cold light of day, the Liverpool boss knows that it is the right time to move on and speculation has been rife now for weeks about just who might step into the void that will be left by the talismanic German later this year.
Xabi Alonso, of course, remains the frontrunner but the decision by Bayern Munich to announce this week that Thomas Tuchel will leave at the end of the Bundesliga campaign has muddied the waters significantly and the Bayer Leverkusen boss has gone from the hopeful upstart to Europe’s most in-demand manager in seemingly a matter of weeks.
Ruben Amorim of Sporting, in Portugal, is a viable alternative while the names of Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi and Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann have also been mooted. Whoever it is, however, will be tasked with a daunting prospect of succeeding the greatest Liverpool manager since Sir Kenny Dalglish was in his pomp. The identity of the person who takes on the job will unquestionably have to “show some big balls” to quote assistant boss Pep Lijnders from his Friday press conference.
The chatter and speculation will continue in the background for now – how could it not? – but the prospect of recruiting a sporting director is also something that needs to be confronted sooner rather than later by Fenway Sports Group president Mike Gordon and CEO Billy Hogan.
Having worked with Julian Ward, who left the role after less than a year in charge, and then Jorg Schmadtke – who was always viewed as a stop-gap – Klopp will likely exchange pleasantries only with whoever comes in next, should they be appointed before the end of this season. With the manager stepping down, the remit of the next sporting director will likely be expanded, which will surely appeal further to those already interested.
