Succeeding Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool is a HOSPITAL PASS of a job because his biggest stars could follow him out the door, says Chris Sutton on It’s All Kicking Off… as he and Ian Ladyman discuss FIVE contenders who could replace him

Succeeding Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool is a HOSPITAL PASS of a job because his biggest stars could follow him out the door, says Chris Sutton on It’s All Kicking Off… as he and Ian Ladyman discuss FIVE contenders who could replace him

Jurgen Klopp‘s successor at Liverpool will be presented with a ‘hospital pass’ of a job given the success the German has achieved at Anfield, claims Chris Sutton.

Klopp shocked the footballing world on Friday when he announced that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season after nine trophy-laden years.

The German has won the Premier League and Champions League while in the dugout at Anfield, but said he was ‘running out of energy’ to do the job.

The announcement of his departure has already sparked the search for his replacement but whoever does take over will have an almost impossible task of replicating his success.

On this Monday’s episode of It’s All Kicking Off, co-host Sutton insists Klopp’s exit will be an end of an era for the club, which could also see many of Liverpool’s biggest stars follow him out of the Anfield exit.

Jurgen Klopp shocked the footballing world be announcing he’ll leave Liverpool this summer 

It's All Kicking Off co-host and Mail Sport's football editor Ian Ladyman believes Klopp has so much more to give

Chris Sutton also has questions over whether Liverpool's biggest stars will follow Klopp out of the Anfield exit

It’s All Kicking Off co-hosts Ian Ladyman (left) and Chris Sutton (right) claim the Liverpool job is a ‘hospital pass’ for Klopp’s successor

‘I feel sad that he’s leaving,’ Sutton said. ‘Because he’s been such a giant, he’s charismatic, but it’s the challenge of how Liverpool have pushed Manchester City. Without Klopp, Manchester City would have just romped absolutely everything. How is somebody going to replace a giant like him?’

‘They’ll need a manager with a bit of clout to handle the situation. It’s a hospital pass isn’t it?’

‘We’ve had three days to digest the Klopp news and I’m trying to get my head around why it feels so big,’ Ladyman added. ‘Because managers leave all the time. [Jose] Mourinho leaves constantly, [Arsene] Wenger left, [Sir Alex] Ferguson left, [Pep] Guardiola will leave. 

‘I think the reason that this feels so enormous is that most eras end in a natural place. So for example, Arsene Wenger’s era at Arsenal left because he couldn’t do it anymore. Arguably should have left five years before. 

‘People like Mourinho are very much kind of shock and awe, boom and bust managers. So they come and they go. There’s also a feeling that when Guardiola goes, he will go at a time that feels right. Klopp is going and this is why it affects more than the people at Liverpool.

‘Klopp is going at a time when it feels like there was so much more left to give, not just to Liverpool, but to the Premier League. And that rivalry, particularly with Guardiola, it’s almost like it’s having its legs cut off when it’s at its prime. And to me, that is why this feels big, because it feels like it’s, from everyone else’s point of view, the wrong time.’

Klopp announcing his departure has already sparked the search for his replacement

Klopp announcing his departure has already sparked the search for his replacement

With Klopp leaving, there are also concerns that the club’s biggest star could also follow suit and leave Anfield.

It was revealed on Monday that Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk is unwilling to commit his future to the Reds until he has clarity over the club’s long-term vision, with the defender unsure what comes next for him after his Anfield deal expires next summer.

Van Dijk is one of three star names whose contracts need sorting ahead of 2025, alongside Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold. And though there are no immediate concerns that the captain wants an exit, he wants to see what happens next before signing any extension.

Sutton believes Salah and Van Dijk will leave at the end of the season and their exit will only make the job Klopp’s successor has even harder. 

‘There are people out there who think it’s the end of an era with Klopp,’ Sutton said. ‘It looks like Salah will move on at the end of the season. Would the likes of Van Dijk think ‘Klopp brought me into Liverpool, this has been a great success’ and maybe think about another challenge. 

‘Because you know I think it will have had a massive impact on the players and the team and they’ll be desperate for Klopp to leave on a high and to win the Premier League and if they can win four trophies that would be remarkable.

‘We can’t speak for individuals like Van Dijk, but maybe [Andy] Robertson will leave as well. Maybe they’ll see that as the end of an era and Klopp having a clean break, taking all his staff has the right time to move on.’

Virgil van Dijk (right) is unwilling to commit his future to the Reds until he has clarity over the club's long-term vision, while Mohamed Salah (left) is expected to leave the club too

Virgil van Dijk (right) is unwilling to commit his future to the Reds until he has clarity over the club’s long-term vision, while Mohamed Salah (left) is expected to leave the club too

After watching Liverpool’s youthful side beat Norwich in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday, Ladyman questions what the next generation at Liverpool looks like and if the club has another great team in the making.

Ladyman added: ‘I was at Anfield yesterday and I looked at that team that played Norwich. I’m looking at the team and it’s Klopp’s cup team, right? Now it’s easy to get carried away with young players because we know that from between the age of 19 and 24 anything can happen. 

‘You look at darling Darwin Nunez, [Cody] Gakpo, [Luis] Diaz, [Diogo] Jota and [Dominik] Szoboszlai and all of a sudden, you look at it and think, blimey.

‘Is there another great team there in the making? And if there is, who is the next person who is going to be able to do it?’

Mail Sport reported over the weekend that Xabi Alonso is the current frontrunner to replace Klopp but Sutton and Ladyman have discussed the other contenders in the running for the role.

‘Xabi Alonso, he’s done a great, brilliant job at Leverkusen,’ Ladyman said. ‘He’s only been doing it for a year or so. Is he too young?

‘Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton has had a brilliant impact. He’s a temperamental character and likes to go head to head with the people who he works for – does that fit at Liverpool? 

‘Thomas Frank has done a great job at Brentford. [His] football’s a bit direct.’

Mail Sport reported over the weekend that Xabi Alonso is the frontrunner to replace Klopp

Mail Sport reported over the weekend that Xabi Alonso is the frontrunner to replace Klopp

Sutton added: ‘If you’re talking about a fit, nobody can replace Jurgen Klopp, but someone who has the stature and the presence to go in and handle that situation at Liverpool because it will be no doubt tough to handle. 

‘You touched on Alonso, I agree with you with Alonso. He’s still a rookie manager as such and would it be the right time? Does he need a longer apprenticeship? I suspect that he does. 

‘Steven Gerrard’s name comes up because of his connection but I think Aston Villa has done him in, in terms of the way, you know, would Liverpool think about him. 

‘But Ange Postecoglou would fit style of football, he’s got the experience, he’s won things, and he has a bit of clout, and they’ll need a manager with a bit of clout to handle the situation.’


Source From: Premier League News, Fixtures and Results | Mail Online

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