Xabi Alonso is the front-runner to succeed Jurgen Klopp as next Liverpool manager and has already done his due diligence on one player.
The focus is very much on now until May for Jurgen Klopp’s troops.
Liverpool’s dressing room know they have the chance to give their manager the ultimate send-off. The quadruple might not be achievable – but landing three prizes is very much realistic.
The Carabao Cup already adorns the Anfield trophy cabinet. But the Premier League title is the one coveted the most. To break Manchester City’s stranglehold on the top flight in 2020 was an outstanding achievement. Klopp ended a 30-year wait for the Reds to again be crowned champions of Europe. Yet there has been slights from some outside L4 that only one title has been yielded – the same number as Leicester City and Chelsea in his eight-and-a-half years.
And then there is the chance of the German winning the only trophy that eludes him during Anfield tenure. Liverpool might not have wanted to be in the Europa League but it will still rankle that they lost the final against Sevilla in Klopp’s first campaign. With the final taking place a 40-minute flight away in Dublin, it could be the party that tops all.
Yet the current crop of players will also know that come the summer, they’ll have the latest incumbent to impress. Those who have been regulars this season will have to prove that they can adapt to new tactics. Players on the fringes will see it as a fresh start.
As things stand, Xabi Alonso is the front-runner to take up the role in the Anfield hot seat – and for good reason. Alonso is someone who already has a strong affinity with Liverpool, having spent five of his playing career with the club and was part of the famous team that won the Champions League in 2005 dubbed the ‘Miracle of Istanbul’.
But even if Alonso had never donned the Liver Bird on his chest, he’d be in the fray. Alonso is on track to lead Bayer Leverkusen to their maiden Bundesliga title and break Bayern Munich’s run of 11 successive titles. There is also a chance Bayer could meet Liverpool in the Europa League final. That’s all in the best past of 18 months in what is his first managerial position.
If Alonso were to land the role then he’ll undoubtedly carry out a thorough period of due diligence on the current squad. Granted, the Spaniard will already be acutely aware of who is already in the Reds’ dressing room. Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Co. are scarcely talents unearthed.
But there is one player who Alonso could also introduce more regularly to the first-team fold. The youngsters have stepped up impeccably this term. Jarell Quansah and Conor Bradley are now out-and-out senior players while Bobby Clark, Jayden Danns, Lewis Koumas and James McConnell haven’t let Liverpool down when required.
Luke Chambers could be eyeing a similar breakthrough. The defender is currently on loan at Wigan Athletic where he’s enjoying a fine spell. Joining the League One club in January, Chambers has made 15 appearances so far and was awarded the club’s Player of the Month in both January and February. He’s largely been deployed on the left-hand side of a three-man defence for Wigan but has also featured at left-back.
Interestingly, Chambers was linked with a switch to Bayer Leverkusen last summer. It was said that the Reds academy product was coveted by Alonso on loan. That implies that he was deemed ready to be thrown into the deep end and face the likes of Bayern, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig.
Yet the England youth international, currently away with England under-20s during the international break, remained on Merseyside. Chambers made four appearances for Klopp’s side in the first half of the campaign, including a full debut in a 5-1 thrashing of Toulouse in the Europa League before being loaned to Wigan.
Indeed, Chambers’ present aim is for the Latics to finish in the top half of League One. They would be flirting with the play-off picture if only for a four-point deduction.
If Alonso is to be appointed Klopp’s heir then Chambers could be one benefactor. He’ll be buoyed by Bradley’s scintillating stint in the third tier with Bolton last season, which gave him the platform to break into Klopp’s Premier League plans.
