Following Jurgen Klopp’s departure, Jamie Carragher predicts who will lead Liverpool as manager going forward.

Jamie Carragher has been evaluating the managerial background of Xabi Alonso.

Jamie Carragher thinks Xabi Alonso will succeed Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool after comparing the Spanish manager’s career to those of Jose Mourinho and Klopp.

The 42-year-old is presently the favourite to replace Klopp, who declared he would be leaving the role following a stellar nine-year tenure at Anfield.

After joining Anfield in 2004, Alonso played for five years before being selected for Rafa Benitez’s Champions League winning team in his first season. Since taking over as manager of Bayer Leverkusen in 2022, when the German team was headed for their first-ever Bundesliga championship, Alonso has received a great deal of praise for his work there.

With a 3-0 victory against championship rivals Bayern Munich on Saturday, Leverkusen extended his team’s winning streak to 31 games across all competitions and took a five-point advantage atop the Bundesliga standings.

Furthermore, Carragher acknowledges that Alonso’s “remarkable” performance at the BayArena makes him think of Mourinho and Klopp’s underdog victories at FC Porto and Borussia Dortmund before to receiving their big breaks in Europe.

We’re going to take a look at it because, in my opinion, there’s a good likelihood he’ll take over as manager of Liverpool going forward; he looks like the clear favourite. Speaking on Monday Night Football, Carragher remarked, “When you think of the great managers and where they start, a lot of them do something pretty remarkable at maybe a lower level.”

“You consider Jose’s Champions League victory at FC Porto, or Jurgen Klopp’s two titles with Borussia Dortmund, and now I consider Xabi Alonso. If he succeeds in what appears to be their current favourite endeavor—winning a Bundesliga—and the outcome they achieved this past weekend, I believe it will be incredibly illuminating to observe, should he play in the Premier League next season, what kind of a player he is. In what ways does he approach it differently from Jurgen Klopp and his Liverpool team?

Carragher went on to analyse Alonso’s style of play, pointing out that the Spaniard uses strategies akin to those of Pep Guardiola, who managed Alonso at Bayern Munich in 2014.

“Liverpool are a more direct team, they go faster, they use counter-attacks more,” said Carragher. “This team, Bayer Leverkusen, and possibly his impact are more in line with Pep Guardiola. Since he has been his manager, Manchester City has been more prevalent.

“However, I believe that Xabi Alonso will succeed Jürgen Klopp as manager of Liverpool. Liverpool has been lucky that Klopp is leaving at this time and moving on, so Xabi Alonso’s timing to take over is ideal for the work he’s doing.

“He needs to establish his own concept and leave his mark on the group. But under Jürgen Klopp, this team has become so accustomed to playing in a particular way. Xabi Alonso is also aware of the intensity of the Anfield crowd and the atmosphere. In fact, I believe that if he were hired, the two approaches would combine.

“But he’s without a doubt the best young manager available right now, in my opinion.”

Leading the Premier League at the moment, Liverpool has advanced to the round of 16 in the FA Cup and Europa League and will play Chelsea in the League Cup final later this month.