Liverpool told ex-Tottenham, Newcastle target should be an ‘outside’ candidate to replace Klopp
Former Tottenham Hotspur target Paulo Fonseca has been named as a potential “outside” candidate to replace Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.
The respected German head coach announced towards the end of last month that he would be leaving Liverpool at the end of this season.
This news shocked the footballing world but it has since been claimed that Liverpool were informed of Klopp‘s decision in November so they already have had a decent amount of time to plan for his departure.
Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso has unsurprisingly emerged as a leading candidate to replace Klopp but he is attracting interest from clubs around Europe.
Carlo Ancelotti is not thought to be under pressure but Spanish outlet Nacional claimed over the weekend that Alonso is already ‘negotiating’ with Real Madrid over a return to the La Liga giants.
Bayern Munich are also likely to be interested in Alonso if they opt to part ways with Thomas Tuchel so Liverpool may well miss out on their main target.
Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi and Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim have been mentioned as potential alternatives, but Fonseca’s name has now been brought up.
Fonseca was previously linked with moves to Tottenham and Newcastle United. He has been Lille’s manager since 2022 and they are currently challenging for the Champions League places in Ligue Un.
French football expert Jonathan Johnson thinks Fonseca “might be worth considering” if Liverpool fail to acquire their preferred targets.
“We know Liverpool and Barcelona are going to be on the lookout for new managers at the end of this coming season, and while I’d love to say there’s someone managing in Ligue 1 who could be in the conversation for either of those clubs, my honest opinion is that there’s not currently anyone in the French top flight who could step in to either role,” Johnson told Caught Offside.
“For Liverpool, it’s very hard to see past the obvious fit of Xabi Alonso. The work he’s doing with this Bayer Leverkusen team this season is just phenomenal.
“If you look at their record but also the way they play, like in their commanding victory over Bayern Munich at the weekend, then the links are obvious, especially as Carlo Ancelotti has extended his contract as Real Madrid manager – it falls really nicely for Xabi Alonso to tread the path to Anfield.”
He added: “If I was to pick anybody from Ligue 1 as a bit of an outsider who might be worth considering I might be tempted to go for Lille’s Paulo Fonseca because of the experience he’s had at some big clubs.
“He’s done decent work with Lille since coming in, but even then I still think it would be quite a leap for him to go to a Liverpool or a Barcelona, with all due respect.”
