It’s not often that two of the best jobs in club football become available at the same time. It’s even more unlikely that we have months of notice for the clubs to find replacements, and for the media to build anticipation and start up rumors.
That’s exactly what we got last week when Jurgen Klopp and Xavi announced they’d be leaving Liverpool and Barcelona at the end of the season.
I haven’t debuted this yet on The Camp, but I have a working power ranking of the top 30 football clubs in the world, but Liverpool and Barcelona are currently in my top five. It goes without saying that two managerial positions of that caliber both coming open can have a massive impact on the sport.
Let’s dive into each opening and evaluate potential candidates.
Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp has been a mainstay of the game in England for the better part of the last decade, returning Liverpool to glory under tight financial restrictions relative to other “Big 6” English clubs. His decision to step away and take a break from management was seismic to say the least.
The announcement came with Liverpool top of the table and attempting to fend off Manchester City, Arsenal, and others for the title. How cool would it be for Klopp to go out on top of the Premier League?
Beyond this season, however, Liverpool must prepare for a future without Klopp at the helm.
Before Klopp’s arrival, Liverpool under Fenway Sports Group had adopted a Moneyball-style approach, similar to the one used by the Boston Red Sox, to identify Klopp as a manager who could assemble a title-winning squad while limiting spending. Clearly, FSG knocked that decision out of the park.
If Liverpool wants to continue that trend, there’s a clear and obvious candidate: Xabi Alonso. The Spaniard has navigated murky financial waters at Bayer Leverkusen to put together a team currently top of the Bundesliga. Plus, Alonso made over 140 appearances for the Reds during his playing career and clearly knows what to expect by taking over at Anfield.
To me, Alonso projects as one of the next great managers in the sport, perfectly capable of filling the shoes of a legend like Klopp. His profile and experience matches perfectly with what Liverpool and FSG likely want. It makes too much sense.
The only question is whether Alonso would leave Leverkusen after a season that projects to at least finish in a Champions League place. There are very few clubs Alonso would consider, but I truly believe Liverpool is one of them.
If Alonso elects to stay in Germany, there are some other options to consider. The club could turn to Jose Mourinho, but the expense and culture-shift associated with that sort of move would be hard to reconcile. Graham Potter is another fascinating possibility given his experience prior to Chelsea with limited financial capabilities, but there’s a decent chance a manager-less club hires him before the end of the season.
If it elects to get creative, I could even see Liverpool reaching for current Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna, Reims coach Will Still, or even Southampton gaffer Russell Martin. Those coaches may not have the profile Liverpool fans would want, but hold a lot of potential and promise.
Nonetheless, I’ll have a deeper dive on Klopp’s Liverpool tenure closer to the end of the season, but for now, questions will certainly linger about who will take over.
Barcelona
It’s fair to say that Xavi’s return to Catalonia as manager hasn’t gone according to plan. Sure, Barcelona won La Liga last season, but it was blown out of the water by Real Madrid in 2022, and this season in the league has been a mess so far.
Additionally, the club hasn’t made it past the quarter final in the Champions League under Xavi and didn’t even make it out of the group stage last season.
All in all, it’s probably time for a change, and anytime Barcelona becomes available, managers around the world take notice. It’s as big a job as any.
Barcelona’s first call should be to Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi, who’s done an excellent job in England, building a juggernaut of a squad at a club that you wouldn’t otherwise expect to have that sort of success. De Zerbi’s teams play such an attractive and effective style which would certainly be endearing to Barcelona.
Additionally, current Brighton players such as Kaoru Mitoma, Pervis Estupinan, and Joao Pedro absolutely cook in De Zerbi’s system. While their profiles might be underwhelming compared to other Barcelona players, they could be key additions if they follow De Zerbi to Spain.
It would also be an important and unfortunate shift in England if Brighton were to lose those figures.
Beyond De Zerbi, I wouldn’t be shocked if Barcelona moves for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. Rumors have already started about Arteta’s interest, although he profusely rejected them. I tend to believe there’s usually fire under the smoke.
Barcelona’s higher-ups could also take a look at Real Sociedad’s Imanol Alguacil, Girona’s Michel, or even Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola. All three have wildly impressed at their current clubs. There’s also the possibility that Barca B manager and Mexico legend Rafa Marquez could be promoted to the senior role, but I expect the Blaugrana to find someone with more senior experience.
The elephant in the room will of course be Jurgen Klopp, but I truly believe him when he says he is taking a break.
Nonetheless, both clubs will spend the rest of the season with uncertain futures, and given the caliber and volume of coaches expected to be linked to either of (or both) the positions, Klopp’s and Xavi’s departures could have far-reaching ramifications in domestic tables, cup competitions, and transfer markets all over the world.
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