Liverpool fans will be a lot less familiar with this name.
A new favourite to take over from Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool at the end of the season has emerged, after Xabi Alonso committed himself to staying at Bayer Leverkusen.
Alonso, who has been viewed as a strong contender to replace Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager next season, now looks set to stay on as coach of current Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen for at least one more season.
While many fans will assume that Brighton and Hove Albion’s Roberto De Zerbi will now become the club’s top target, it seems another name from further afield could be the one to succeed the German.
39-year-old Ruben Amorim is the current first team coach at Sporting Lisbon, who currently sit at the top of Liga Portugal.
The former Benfica and Portuguese international midfielder took over at Sporting CP in 2020, and guided the club to a double of the Taça da Liga and the Primeira Liga, ending the latter’s 19-year league title drought.
Amorim’s high pressing style of play is very similar to the way Liverpool currently operate under Klopp – as is the speed of Sporting’s play and how direct they are.
Liverpool have in-depth knowledge of the Portuguese market with coaches Pep Lijnders, Vitor Matos and former sporting director Julian Ward all possessing excellent contacts and links there, so they’ll have a wealth of information on Amorim, and could opt for his talents over any of the other potential candidates.
Up until now, Alonso has been the frontrunner to replace Klopp, and has been favoured by most fans considering his status as a legend within the club.
The Spaniard spent five years at the club and was part of the Champions League winning side of 2005.
However, reports from Germany suggest that Alonso is set to stay in Germany and continue his successful reign at Bayer Leverkusen, and therefore is no longer on Liverpool’s summer shortlist.
It seems Alonso wants to stay at Leverkusen and continue his incredible project which is still in its infancy and is on course to make history.
That’s not only in the Bundesliga, but the club could win a treble and remain unbeaten across all competitions.
Liverpool fans on social media appear to have gotten over the Alonso news rather quickly and are voicing their support for the Portuguese outsider.
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