Liverpool have cast the net wide in their pursuit of Jurgen Klopp’s long-term successor, with Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso emerging as the leading candidate to replace him.
However, the 42-year-old has pledged his allegiance to the BayArena for another season before embarking on a new challenge elsewhere.
With the Spaniard seemingly out of the picture for the summer, the Anfield hierarchy will have to widen their search to replace their most successful manager in the 21st century.
But the Reds’ shortlist features just two other names.
Roberto De Zerbi of Brighton & Hove Albion and Ruben Amorim of Sporting CP are the only alternatives, with Liverpool employing a data-based approach to find a suitable profile.
De Zerbi’s name has naturally popped up, considering the Italian manager has been a thorn in Klopp’s side since replacing Graham Potter at the Amex Stadium last season.
With Liverpool set to take on Brighton on Sunday, the German manager spoke to the press about his Seagulls counterpart.
“Roberto is doing an incredible job there and it’s a different game against Brighton, definitely,” Klopp told the club’s official website.
“The first game was surprising – I think we were the first opponent after he joined the club, if I’m right, and we had no clue what we have to expect.
“We knew how he played in his former club, we knew what Graham [Potter] did, but nobody knew how that would look in the end and it was quite impressive how quick he obviously got the team in his way.
“Since then, it only got better – it’s really impressive. It’s a different way of playing football.”
Meanwhile, Amorim is one of the most highly-rated up-and-coming managers in European football and has a host of high-profile admirers across the continent.
The pair are the leading candidates to fill the vacancy at Anfield, but the Italian seems to be a clear favourite.
