Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp asserts that Xabi Alonso stands out among the emerging generation of football managers.
Alonso has been strongly associated with the position at Anfield ever since Klopp, aged 56, revealed his departure from the club at the season’s end.
The 42-year-old currently leads Bayer Leverkusen, who currently sit atop the German Bundesliga, holding a five-point lead over Bayern Munich, the winners of the previous 11 titles.
“Xabi is doing an incredible job,” said Klopp on Friday.
Alonso enjoyed a five-year tenure with Liverpool from 2004 to 2009, securing victories in the Champions League, FA Cup, Super Cup, and Community Shield during his tenure on Merseyside. Subsequently, he experienced successful stints at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
Taking the helm at Leverkusen in 2022, the former midfielder has guided them to an unbeaten run in all competitions this season. They currently lead the Bundesliga, have reached the semi-finals of the German Cup, and advanced to the last 16 of the Europa League.
Alonso’s managerial achievements in Germany, highlighted by their recent 3-0 triumph over Bayern, have reportedly elevated him as one of the most sought-after coaching prospects in Europe, with prestigious clubs such as Real Madrid expressing interest.
“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.”
In a surprising move, Klopp announced in January that he would be leaving Liverpool in the summer after a nine-year tenure, citing exhaustion as the reason.
Liverpool, currently leading the Premier League by two points ahead of Manchester City, will face Brentford at 12:30 GMT on Saturday.