Jurgen Klopp’s sudden announcement that he will retire at the end of the season.Unable to maintain the energy needed to lead one of the top clubs in the world, he will take a year-long leave of absence after leaving Anfield.
And the hotly debated topic is who will succeed the German as the club’s new leader.
There are few obvious candidates, but former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso, in charge of Bayer Leverkusen, who has been in great form this season, is reportedly the frontrunner.
However, Xabi Alonso, while expressing surprise at the announcement, declined to say whether he would take over as Liverpool coach. He also said in his words that he is happy at Leverkusen and that he is on his way.
“First of all, it [Klopp’s announcement] was a surprise. But I have great respect for Jurgen, huge admiration… What he has achieved and the way he has achieved that.”
“At the moment, I am really happy here. I enjoy my work here and feel that it’s given me a challenge. We are on an intense but beautiful journey here in Leverkusen and I’m trying to give my best to help my players be ready for the next thing.”
“To be honest, I am not in that moment, to think about the next step. I am thinking about where I am right now. I think I am in a great place and am enjoying it. I think it’s the right place and all that I can say. What’s going to happen in the future, I don’t know. I don’t really care at the moment.”