Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes his former club should be seriously considering appointing Thomas Tuchel as Jurgen Klopp’s successor.
The ex-Chelsea manager has struggled during his year in charge of Bayern Munich but, writing in his column for The Telegraph, Carragher said the German has shown he is a “proven winner” and he is more likely to succeed at Anfield than prospective new head coach Arne Slot:
“For the last nine years, Liverpool have possessed one of the top two managers in the world. They are now gambling on the next big thing rather than appointing a proven, real deal. I would have given more thorough consideration to a coach like Thomas Tuchel who took on and beat Pep Guardiola in the ultimate test – a Champions League final. Tuchel followed Klopp at Mainz and Borussia Dortmund and did well.”
“It has not worked out at Bayern Munich this season, but you only have to look at Carlo Ancelotti and Unai Emery to recognise how top coaches recover from setbacks. If another English club takes Tuchel, that would convince me they will significantly improve, but my sense is Liverpool don’t want a coach with a reputation for being fractious. I would prefer a proven winner who could be difficult to manage to a coach who might be easy to manage but still have everything to prove.”
As Carragher mentions, the 50-year-old has proven himself to be a world-class coach but there is no evidence that he could build a legacy similar to Klopp’s. He has been sacked by Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern in his last four jobs.
Tuchel hasn’t lasted more than two years at any team since he left Mainz all the way back in 2014, which demonstrates that he can be a rather disruptive figure.
Klopp has backed Slot to be a success at Liverpool
While Carragher has his doubts about the Dutchman’s credentials, the current Reds boss is more confident that he will succeed on Merseyside.
Speaking ahead of the game against West Ham, Klopp said Slot is a “good guy” and a “good coach”. Whether the Feyenoord boss will prove critics such as Carragher wrong, though, we shall have to wait and see.
