Liverpool look to be edging closer to hiring Ruben Amorim as their Jurgen Klopp successor.
The Reds have been on the hunt for a new manager ever since Klopp announced his surprise decision to leave the club back in January.
Xabi Alonso appeared to be the early favourite, but when the Spaniard decided to stay at Bayer Leverkusen, Liverpool needed a new approach.
That reportedly led them to considering a five-man shortlist over recent weeks. And now, talks are said to have been accelerated between the Reds and one of that quintet, Amorim.
Nevertheless, things aren’t quite sorted just yet. And according to journalist Ben Jacobs, another of the five coaches ‘could still be one to watch.’
Who else are Liverpool considering
So hopeful are we of Amorim’s eventual appointment at Anfield, that we’ve already been looking ahead to what his hiring could mean in the transfer market.
Despite that, we’d still be open to someone else, if Liverpool thought they were a better fit to succeed Klopp.
And speaking to Give Me Sport, Jacobs has claimed that Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann may still be just about in the running. The journalist’s claims somewhat contradict reports from CM Jornal in Portugal that Amorim is the absolute favourite for the job. According to him, the shortlist is still live.
“They are trying to get a final shortlist and, therefore, there will be more than one name on that final shortlist,” Jacobs insists. “Julian Nagelsmann scored very highly on Liverpool’s data. He obviously isn’t available until after Euro 2024, but he could still be one to watch.
“Roberto De Zerbi hasn’t been approached. I know we hear a lot of hype about him potentially moving, and he has said on record that his contract situation and his future at Brighton is yet to be resolved, but there hasn’t been any contact yet between Liverpool and De Zerbi.
“Thomas Frank is admired as well. It remains to be seen whether he progresses to the final stage.”
Who would be the best alternative to Ruben Amorim
From the managers seemingly under consideration, Amorim would still look to be the best option for Liverpool. Others have disagreed with that, with plenty putting De Zerbi forward especially. But we’re not convinced by the Italian.
In terms of Nagelsmann, we can certainly see why he’d appeal to the Reds. Although his reputation took a bit of a battering during his recent stint at Bayern Munich, he’s still an exceptional coach.
At 36, Nagelsmann is even younger than Amorim. Given the time and backing, there’s a chance he could stay at his next club for years and years.
If it doesn’t end up being Amorim, then we’d certainly be open to letting the German have a crack at it. But he wouldn’t be our first choice. By the sounds of it, don’t count Julian out just yet.