It’s still surreal for many of us (not to mention Liverpool fans) to think that this will be Jürgen Klopp’s last season with Liverpool. Klopp‘s announcement sent shockwaves around the footballing world and is something no one saw coming.
His achievements during his tenure as Liverpool manager are extraordinary as he’s won every domestic title possible, including the club’s first English League title (now known as the Premier League) since 1990.
Under his guidance, Liverpool also won the Champions League, enjoyed some epic performances (such as beating Manchester United 0-5 and 7-0), and could have won more Premier League titles if not for a well-structured and financially backed Manchester City team. Without question, he will be regarded as one of Liverpool’s greatest managers, but now the club must look ahead to find a replacement.
Finding an elite manager to succeed Jürgen Klopp will not be an easy task, but that won’t stop Liverpool from trying to find the best replacement possible.
Xabi Alonso is unquestionably the favorite. He used to play for Liverpool and is doing exceptionally well with Bayer Leverkusen in their push to win the Bundesliga title. Another manager who’s been mentioned is Roberto De Zerbi, who’s taken Brighton and Hove Albion to new heights since taking over at the beginning of last season.
Julian Nagelsmann, Arne Slot, and even Thomas Frank have also been linked, but there are some other managers who haven’t been mentioned that could be a good fit for Liverpool’s structure. Who are some of these overlooked managers that Liverpool should also be considering?
Rúben Amorim – Sporting CP
His rise to the top has been extraordinary. Amorim had only been as a reserve team coach at SC Braga before replacing the first team manager in 2019. In his brief spell with SC Braga, he won the Portuguese League Cup against FC Porto and didn’t lose any domestic games.
That caught the attention of Sporting CP, who paid SC Braga a hefty fee to sign him just two months after making his first division debut. What would be even more interesting is that he would manage Sporting CP after having previously appeared in 153 games with SL Benfica (Sporting CP’s arch-rival) during his playing career.
Before signing, Sporting CP hadn’t won the Primeira Liga (Portuguese league) since the 2001/2002 season. Despite leading a new team in the midst of the COVID pandemic, he would change the team’s fortunes by winning the Portuguese league title in 2021. Sporting CP would also won the Portuguese Supercup and two Portuguese League Cups under his guidance. Along with this, they eliminated Arsenal in last season’s Europa League and were a tough team to play against before being eliminated by Juventus in the quarter-final stage.
This season, he has Sporting CP once again challenging for the Portuguese league title and in the knock out stages of the Europa League. All this while playing an attacking style of play that is possession-based and with an adaptable back-three formation. Additionally, he’s helped young players develop their game, which has seen Sporting CP sell them for big amounts, such as Pedro Porro, Nuno Mendes, and Matheus Nunes. Amorim ticks all the boxes for what Liverpool are looking for and could be a successful choice.
Luciano Spalletti – Italian National Team
Spalletti has always been highly respected and regarded as one of Italy’s best managers, but he had never won the league title at any of his prior teams. However, that would all change after signing for Napoli a few seasons ago. In his first season, he lead Napoli to an impressive third-place finish, but no one thought he could actually get them to challenge for the Serie A title. Particularly after some of the team’s best players left the club (such as Kalidou Koulibaly, Fabián Ruiz, and Lorenzo Insigne) and were replaced by relative unknowns.
Despite this, they not only challenged for the league title, they thrashed the entire competition. Napoli won their first Serie A title since 1990 by a 16-point gap. All of this while playing an attacking, high-energy, style of play that was suffocating for oppositions. In fact, Napoli still have virtually the same squad from their title-winning squad (except for Kim Min-jae, who was sold to Bayern Munich), yet they’re currently mid-table in Serie A and have had multiple managers this season. This shows the tremendous impact Spalletti had on the team.
With all this, Spalletti could be a good fit for what Liverpool are looking for. He’s known for his tactical versatility and his teams adapt well to different ways of playing. Although he likes playing an attacking style, his teams are also a strong defensive force and hard to break down. Not to mention Spalletti has nurtured young talents and improved existing players, which aligns with Liverpool’s focus on youth development. In a league as dynamic as the Premier League, this adaptability is crucial and would be of good value to Liverpool if given the chance.
Thomas Tuchel – Bayern Munich
He replaced Klopp at Borussia Dortmund and previously at Mainz. Why not at Liverpool?
It’s true that the last couple of seasons haven’t gone well for Tuchel as he was sacked from Chelsea after clashing with the new ownership group and miraculously won last season’s Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich as a result of Borussia Dortmund blowing it on the last match-day of the season. Despite having a full preseason with the Bavarian club, the team hasn’t gotten any better, there have been several internal issues, and Bayern Munich could be on the verge of losing the Bundesliga title for the first time since 2012.
Tuchel has always been know for having a strong demeanor, which has seen him clash with the club’s board of directors on prior occasions. He had issues at PSG (although which manager hasn’t) and was sacked from Borussia Dortmund, even though he won the German Cup that season.
Despite these bad spells, there is no question he’s still one of the best managers in football and you can’t argue with his achievements. Under his guidance, Mainz became Bundesliga regulars. Previously, he won the German Cup with Borussia Dortmund and his time as manager was arguably the club’s most consistent period since Klopp’s departure.
He also took PSG to the Champions League final and got the best version out of Neymar while he was in charge. Along with this, he won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021 where he beat Manchester City (managed by Pep Guardiola) in the final. Not to mention that the argument could also be made that Tuchel is a better tactician than Klopp and is more flexible to changing things if the team isn’t playing to its standards.
Although his personality would concern Liverpool, there’s also another way to see this. Liverpool might not have the resources that other top teams have, but they’re known for being a well-structured club and having one of the best fan bases in the world. After all the off-field issues he’s had to deal with at Chelsea and Bayern Munich, Tuchel might view things from a different perspective if offered the position. Whatever happens, if Tuchel becomes available, he is an option whom Liverpool should seriously consider.
Javier Martinez is a seasoned veteran of football coverage and an expert on Spanish football. He has been covering world football for more than seven years with bylines at outlets such as The 18 and The Real Champs.