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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Jurgen Klopp has named his preferred successor for the Anfield hotseat when he departs, and fans will surely like his decision.
What did he say?
The German is certainly enjoying his time at Liverpool but recently he hasn’t held back when speaking about his future, speaking earlier this month about the option of a sabbatical when his contract on Merseyside comes to an end, in 2022.
In an exclusive interview with FourFourTwo he highlighted the support he has received since becoming manager of the Reds, citing Kenny Daglish and Steven Gerrard as key figures of support, stating that he has never worried that a figure of influence such as Dalglish acts as a non-executive director.
He said: “If Liverpool were to sack me tomorrow, then maybe Kenny would be the first choice to replace me, but they would probably bring Stevie [Gerrard] down from Glasgow.
“If you ask who should follow me, I’d say Stevie. I help him whenever I can.”
Gerrard is currently in the second year of his first senior managerial spell at Rangers, whom he has taken into the Europa League group stages on two occasions, but despite that Liverpool would be quite a step up for him.
Gamble
It is good to see the respect Klopp has for former players who are well-regarded by fans, and though his endorsement is a positive it would be risk if the club actually carried through his wish.
As mentioned, Gerrard has a little more than a year in management, overseeing a total of just 76 matches, and even then many of his games have come up against lesser opposition that Rangers are expected to beat, so he is still very much an unknown quantity when it comes to managing in England.
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His knowledge of the club and the respect he would garner from fans and the players would work in his favour, but with Klopp likely to leave Liverpool at the top of the English game and possibly one of the best teams in Europe, it would be expecting a lot of the rookie Gerrard to continue the German’s accomplishments.
Even if Klopp departs in 2022, it would be too early for the former Reds player unless he garnered more experience elsewhere, and though managing a big club like Rangers is helping him prepare for a club like Liverpool there is little pressure like managing at Anfield, particularly if the club is still awaiting its first Premier League title at that stage.
