Liverpool have set their sights on Xabi Alonso as their top candidate to take over from Jurgen Klopp at the conclusion of the season.
Former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has urged Liverpool to appoint former captain Steven Gerrard as their next manager. Xabi Alonso is currently the leading contender to succeed Jurgen Klopp in the Anfield hot seat. However, a suggestion has been made to snub Alonso for the role.
Klopp announced his decision to step down as Liverpool’s manager in January, saying he has “run out of energy.” With Klopp’s departure looming, Liverpool are actively searching for a suitable replacement to lead the team.
Ruben Amorim from Sporting and Roberto De Zerbi from Brighton are both being considered by Liverpool, alongside Xabi Alonso, who remains the club’s top target. Alonso, aged 42, continues to impress while coaching Bayer Leverkusen and has garnered interest from various top clubs across Europe.
Despite Alonso’s candidacy, Harry Redknapp urges Liverpool to look towards Steven Gerrard as the best choice to succeed Klopp. He told Bet Victor: “I’m going to say somebody and people are going to think that I’m off my head, but I would give it to Steven Gerrard.
“I know people will say that he was a failure at Aston Villa and it didn’t go great there, but he’s a Liverpool man and was an incredible player for them.
“He’s got passion for the game and I used to listen to him speak when he was at Rangers and always thought he was going to be top drawer. I would love to see him manage Liverpool.
“Xabi Alonso would be a good choice as well but there’s every chance he will go to Bayern Munich – they’re a massive club as well who managed to get Harry Kane to leave the Premier League last summer.
“I know I’m probably not in the majority when I say it should be Steven Gerrard but I’ve still got belief in him – I don’t write people off.”
Gerrard faced challenges during his time at Villa Park, achieving only a 32% win rate in Premier League matches with the club. He also had a less than stellar performance in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Ettifaq.
Despite this, Redknapp suggests that Liverpool should draw inspiration from Unai Emery’s success story and trust in their former midfielder.
The former Portsmouth boss continued: “You need the right players in order to perform well as a manager. Look at Unai Emery at Aston Villa – he went to Arsenal and was no good but has gone to Villa and is doing a great job.
“It’s a different club with different players and the circumstances are different – it just worked for him there. I’m in Steven Gerrard’s corner for this one.”
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