The most recent candidate to succeed Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool is Niko Kovac. Who is he?

Another manager has added his name to the list of possible successors to Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool in the summer. Niko Kovac is his name.

After leaving Wolfsburg earlier this season, Kovac is reportedly a surprise candidate that the Reds management is considering, according to the Daily Mail.

Liverpool is apparently in the process of completing a thorough research stage, gathering information and statistics on their chosen candidates, but they have not yet officially started conversations with contenders as they look to replace Jurgen Klopp in the summer.

After initial favourite Xabi Alonso wrote himself out of the running, Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim is reportedly top of the priority list. However, the former Portuguese international recently denied rumours that talks between him and the Merseyside club were even in the advanced stages, let alone underway.

In recent months, other players including Julian Nagelsmann, Thomas Tuchel, and Roberto De Zerbi have also been connected to the Liverpool position.

Kovac is apparently the most recent name Liverpool has reportedly considered, suggesting that they are still open to new options. You should know the following about him.

“NIKO KOVAC”: WHO IS HE?

Since retiring in 2009, Kovac, a former captain of the Croatian national team, has amassed a remarkable managerial career.

He took charge of his senior national team in 2013 after having managed the Croatia U21s, and after a stressful and controversial playoff period, he managed them to qualify for the 2014 World Cup.

In 2016, he transitioned from playing international football to club football, accepting a position with Eintracht Frankfurt in an attempt to establish a coaching career in Germany, the nation in which he had enjoyed considerable success as a player.

This was Kovac’s first truly memorable moment as a manager. After leading Frankfurt to victory in the 2018 DFB-Pokal final, they won their first silverware since 1988.

Clutching the championship from reigning champions Bayern Munich, it would turn out to be a fruitful trial for his prospective employers.

Former Bayern player Kovac took over as manager in the summer of 2018 after famous coach Jupp Heynckes retired. In his first season, Kovac guided the team to a league and cup double.

Even though he appeared to be at the top of his game, everything would fall apart fast. His second stint as manager didn’t go quite as well, and in October he was fired following a beating at the hands of his former team, Frankfurt.

Since then, there have been stints at Wolfsburg and Monaco, both of which saw varying degrees of success. Having left the Volkswagen Arena in March, he has not had a job.

A positional play-focused manager who enjoys occupying the vertical and horizontal lanes and building up from the back, his strategies would differ from Klopp’s ‘gegenpressen’ approach.

Even so, he is still a viable option with elite level experience, and considering that he is a free agent, it makes sense for Liverpool to at least have him on the long list of possible successors.