Xabi Alonso will not become the next Liverpool manager, and the Reds are now being forced to look elsewhere.
Jurgen Klopp will be leaving Anfield at the end of this season. He made that decision months ago and officially announced it in January in what was a shock to everyone.
Liverpool have been on the lookout for a new manager since, and Xabi Alonso was the guy everyone backed to return to Liverpool. However, that is no longer a possibility.
Michael Edwards, who is back at Liverpool now, has a different name at the top of his wish list.
Italian manager is on top of Michael Edwards’ Liverpool shortlist
Liverpool are set to undergo huge changes in the coming months.
Jurgen Klopp is the biggest part of the club, and his departure will leave a massive void that needs to be filled in the right way.
Liverpool needed someone experienced to oversee the changes, and FSG convinced Michael Edwards to return to the club a few weeks ago.
The 44-year-old, who has brought in Richard Hughes now, has been on the lookout for a new manager, and ESPN’s Mark Ogden has now suggested that Xabi Alonso was never his preferred target.
The journalist has revealed that Brighton and Hove Albion boss Roberto De Zerbi is the one who is on top of Edwards’ shortlist to replace Klopp.
Gary Neville recently hailed the Italian for making his team play ‘like Real Madrid‘.
Ogden said on ESPN FC: “Xabi Alonso is not going to go to Liverpool. Liverpool have pulled out. The word they’re getting from Leverkusen is that Alonso wants to stay for at Leverkusen for at least one more year. So, Liverpool are having to look elsewhere.
“There’s been a few little inklings this week that Alonso wasn’t totally keen on being the guy after Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.
“But, prior to that, Michael Edwards has gone back now as the CEO of FSG and he has ideas different to what people may be thinking of Xabi Alonso.
“Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton is the guy at the top of his list.”
- READ MORE: Richard Hughes is a big fan of 44-year-old manager as Liverpool look for Xabi Alonso alternatives
Three managers Liverpool could target instead of Roberto De Zerbi
Michael Edwards is a smart man, and we’re sure Roberto De Zerbi is not the only manager on his shortlist.
In the same video, Ogden went on to reveal that along with the Italian, Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim is also highly rated at Liverpool.
Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi, who led his side to the final of the Champions League last season, has also been linked with the Liverpool job.
A surprise name has also emerged in recent weeks. RC Lens manager Franck Haise, who has done an impressive job in France, has been named as a target for the Reds.
All of the above names are exciting in their own way, and It will be interesting to see who Liverpool will go after now that Alonso is out of the picture.