Kopites and the football world were shocked yesterday when the German, 56, dropped the bombshell that he would be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season.
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Klopp had informed Liverpool chiefs of his decision to step down in NOVEMBER but players and staff only learned of his exit on Friday.
The ex-Dortmund manager has transformed Liverpool back into one of the game’s top sides since taking charge in October 2015.
He achieved legendary status when ending their 30-year title drought in 2020 while he also led the Reds to three Champions League finals – tasting success in 2019.
Now there will be huge change with his assistants Pepijn Lijnders, Peter Krawietz and Vitor Matos also confirmed to be leaving while interim sporting director Jorg Schmadtke will depart his job next week.
Liverpool’s chief executive Billy Hogan has already confirmed that the process to find a replacement for Klopp will start immediately.
Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso, 42, is the favourite with bookmakers to become their new boss with Reds legend Jamie Carragher believing that the Spaniard would be the ideal choice.
However, The Athletic have now thrown several more names into the mix – and three of them are already managing in the Premier League.
They claim that “the plan is to appoint a new sporting director before identifying a new manager”.
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But a shortlist has already been drawn-up of men that the Reds have been impressed with.
They state that “Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi and Tottenham’s Ange Postecoglou, a boyhood Liverpool fan, are also on the radar” along with Alonso.
They added that “Thomas Frank also has his admirers after his body of work at Brentford, allied to the fact there are stylistic similarities between his side and Liverpool’s high-pressing, ultra-energetic approach”.
And another person mentioned as a potential successor was Klopp’s compatriot Julian Nagelsmann.
This report states that he “may also be of interest” but he is firstly tasked with leaving leading Germany at this summer’s European Championship on home turf.
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