Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says Xabi Alonso is a “standout” of the new generation of football managers.
Alonso has been heavily linked with the job at Anfield since Klopp, 56, announced he would be leaving the club at the end of the season.
The 42-year-old’s Bayer Leverkusen team are top of the German Bundesliga, five points clear of Bayern Munich who have won the past 11 titles.
“Xabi is doing an incredible job,” said Klopp on Friday.
Alonso spent five seasons with Liverpool from 2004 to 2009 and won the Champions League, FA Cup, Super Cup and Community Shield during his time on Merseyside, before successful spells at Real Madrid and Bayern.
The former midfielder took over at Leverkusen in 2022 and they remain unbeaten in all competitions this season – leading the Bundesliga, in the German Cup semi-finals and the last 16 of the Europa League.
Alonso’s success in Germany, including their recent 3-0 win over title rivals Bayern, has reportedly made him one of the top managerial targets for clubs across Europe, including Spanish giants Real Madrid.
“How quick his team is that well tuned, for the time it’s taken, he’s put his proper stamp on it,” said Klopp.
“The next generation is already there and I would say Xabi is a standout in that department.
“[He is a] former world-class player, from a coaching family as well, which helps a little, he was like a coach already when he was playing.
“The football he is playing, the teams he sets up, the transfers he did, it is absolutely exceptional.
“If you would have asked me eight weeks ago about Xabi Alonso, I would have gone ‘Oh my God!’ Always what I said.
“The ‘dinosaurs’ if you want, [Carlo] Ancelotti, [Jose] Mourinho, [Pep] Guardiola, maybe me, we will not [manage] for the next 20 years – OK, maybe Mourinho will do it – but all the rest will not.”
Klopp made the shock announcement in January that he would step down at Liverpool in the summer after nine years, saying he was “running out of energy”.
The Reds, who are two points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League, travel to Brentford at 12:30 GMT on Saturday.
2024-02-17 08:43:02
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