Liverpool: Alonso warned off Anfield job as new name emerges in race to succeed Klopp
Xabi Alonso has been warned by former Real Madrid manager Bernd Schuster about leaving Bayer Leverkusen too soon to take the Liverpool job.
The Reds are on the lookout for a new manager after Jurgen Klopp announced earlier this year that he will be leaving at the end of the season to take a break from football.
Klopp has big shoes to fill after winning his seventh major honour at Liverpool when his side lifted the League Cup trophy at the end of February.
Former Liverpool midfielder Alonso is the current favourite to get the job despite interest from defending Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen.
A number of other managers have also been linked but a report last week claimed that Liverpool have now offered Alonso a three-year contract to take over.
Schuster moved from Getafe to Spanish giants Real Madrid during his managerial career and he has warned Alonso against making a similar mistake to him.
“Xabi’s situation reminds me of a similar situation I was in a few years ago,” Schuster told Sport Bild.
“Back then, I coached my team Getafe into the European Cup and then went to Real Madrid. Afterwards I thought to myself that I would have liked to have played with Getafe as a smaller club in the European Cup (Champions League).
“This was the first time in Europe for this club in its history and would therefore have been a very nice story. So, it’s hard to decide.
“I would understand Xabi in every decision he makes. But what I can say for sure is that sometimes you have to be careful not to want everything too quickly.
“As a young coach you still have a lot to learn. And if, like Xabi, you already have your own team that he has strongly brought together and developed, it is also a really interesting task to go one step further with this team.”
Roberto de Zerbi, Julian Nagelsmann, Thomas Tuchel and Ange Postecoglou are among the other names to have been linked to Klopp’s position when he leaves in the summer.
And now The Athletic insist that Franck Haise is another manager under consideration after he guided Lens to second place in Ligue 1 last campaign.
The report claims: ‘Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi, Newcastle United’s Eddie Howe and Lens’ Franck Haise have profiled well in Liverpool’s data model but are considered less likely to make Liverpool’s final shortlist.’
