FSG's 'five-point plan to hire new boss' shows obvious favourite emerging
FSG are in the process of finding a new Liverpool boss to replace the departing Jurgen Klopp.
In many ways, it's an impossible task given what the German has achieved both on and off the pitch at Liverpool and there will be inevitable pressure on the manager that replaces him - regardless of how impressive his CV is.
But Klopp isn't leaving his successor entirely in the lurch. The 56-year-old has strengthened his Liverpool squad over the past few transfer windows and has spent most of this season rebuilding an impressive new midfield. In short, the German will be handing over a team in much better shape than the one he inherited.
Several names to replace Klopp in the summer have been bandied about, although the club has yet to officially approach any one candidate for the role - at least not publically.
So what are FSG looking for in a Klopp replacement? The Liverpool Echo has focused on five points the owners of the Anfield club will consider when filling the hot seat ahead of the new season and believes an obvious candidate has emerged.
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The first thing the board will want is someone with considerable experience working at a big club. This person will be dealing with imposing characters and intense pressure and will need to swim not sink when the going inevitably gets tough.
The candidate will also need to have won some silverware. Managers with a history of winning trophies know what it takes to go all the way in a competition, something that arguably can't be taught.
The manager will also need to commit himself to the long-term plan at Liverpool. Much of the Reds' recent success has been built on stability and while the likes of Manchester United have chopped and changed senior personnel - and struggled as a result - Liverpool and Man City have flourished by backing one man and one plan.
Jurgen Klopp has enjoyed huge success at Liverpool (AFP via Getty Images)Liverpool will also want a boss who makes the most of the club's academy and is capable of turning a hot prospect into the next Trent Alexander-Arnold or Conor Bradley.
And finally, and perhaps most importantly, FSG need someone on their page. The owners don't like to splash the cash in the same way United and Chelsea have done in recent years.
Yes, Klopp has had money to spend when he has needed to. But much of what has made his tenure so impressive is that he turned the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane - a 'Chelsea flop' and a Southampton winger - into two of the best players in the world.
The new manager will therefore need to appreciate the fact he's not always going to have money to spend and will need to work harder than most to coach his players to the top. And, when the going gets tough, he refrains from calling out the owners publically to back him in the transfer market.
Xabi Alonso is the favourite to replace Jurgen Klopp (Getty Images)The good news for Liverpool fans is that such high criteria will ensure the next boss is well-suited to take over from Klopp. The bad news, of course, is that there isn't a realistic hire alive who ticks all the boxes.
So a comprise of sorts must be struck. And as the Liverpool Echo has pointed out, current frontrunner Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso is arguably best placed to replace the German in the hot seat.
Alonso is relatively new to management but he's taken to it like a duck to water. Like Klopp at Dortmund, he isn't in charge of the best team in Germany. And, like Klopp, he's upset the apple cart by showing Bayern Munich's Bundesliga dominance absolutely no respect.
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Klopp and Dortmund were a thorn in Bayern's side during his tenure and currently, Bayer Leverkusen are top of the Bundesliga, making Harry Kane's quest for a first major honour that bit more difficult.
Alonso is showing he can not only deal with the pressure of a title race he can flourish in it - his Leverkusen side are currently the only unbeaten team in the German top flight and have won four of their last five in the league.
Alonso is yet to win silverware as a manager - although he is on course to rectify this before the end of the season - but has proven he has the mental strength to get over the line as a player having won the Champions League twice and the World Cup.
The Spaniard has only proven himself a shrewd operator in the transfer market. He's ensured his Leverkusen side have remained competitive despite losing big-name stars like Moussa Diaby to Aston Villa.
And Alonso has shown he can develop young stars, with Florian Wirtz one such youth player who has come through the ranks at Leverkusen and now starts for the first team.
What also works in Alonso's favour is his affinity with the Liverpool fans. The Spaniard was a huge player for the Reds at an exciting time in their history and will receive a hero's welcome should he return to Anfield.
He'll also get more time to get it right as Liverpool supporters will inevitably show patience to one of their own over a boss they haven't already forged a strong bond with, which, in theory, would ease some of the pressure on him.
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