Forget Arne Slot - Liverpool's ideal title-winning Jurgen Klopp successor is obvious

Liverpool’s latest blow to their Premier League title hopes has really sat heavy on the club. Just two months ago, the Reds had fans believing they were in with a huge chance of bringing home a stunning quadruple to deliver the perfect send-off for Jurgen Klopp. The Carabao Cup was thrust into the air, the youngsters stamped themselves on the map, and spirits were soaring.

Now, following the FA Cup and Europa League disappointment, Klopp has just one chance remaining to lift a final trophy with Liverpool, and even that is fading away. Since their other tournament exits, the Reds’ form has dipped and they have dropped crucial points in the Premier League. Their 2-2 draw against Manchester United and 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace seriously set them back in this race but their latest 2-0 loss in the Merseyside Derby puts any title chances in serious doubt.

Unless both Manchester City and Arsenal both suffer a major dip in form, Liverpool will have to wait until next season to try again, by which time there will be another manager in charge. There is already a lot of uncertainty and anxiety surrounding Klopp’s exit but this concerning recent run from the Reds is only making things worse. How will this team fare under a new manager? How many of the players will even still be here come the start of the season? Is the new coach going to be too different to what fans have grown used to in the last nine years with Klopp?

The search for the iconic German’s successor continues and a number of names have emerged as potential candidates since the shock announcement last January. The original top priority target was Xabi Alonso, but the former Anfield star is committed to Bayer Leverkusen for at least the next season. Let’s be honest, why wouldn’t you be when you’ve just spearheaded them to their first ever Bundesliga title and have a shot in the Champions League next campaign?

Other names have cropped up since the Alonso news, including Roberto De Zerbi and Rúben Amorim. One of the latest on the radar is Feyenoord’s Arne Slot, who is now listed as the bookmakers’ firm favourite to take over on Merseyside. While the Netherlands-born boss has been outlined as the standout candidate, let’s not forget there have been reports linking other well-known names to Anfield.

If you were to scroll down the list of potential candidates, you’ll find a mixed bag of names, including those who have already been chalked off, like Alonso and Pep Lijnders. One name on the list who could be a better fit that most is someone who Liverpool are back in pursuit of, having previously been linked during the rumours that Klopp was set to join the Germany national team.

Well, Germany’s actual boss, Julian Nagelsmann could be the right fit for Liverpool, at least for now anyway. It’s hard to see past the immediate grey area that Klopp will leave in his wake, so the Reds need someone established to come in and calm things down.

Nagelsmann is just 36 years old, one of the youngest names linked to the soon-to-be vacant Liverpool job, and yet he has achieved more than most. Unlike the majority of managers, the German didn’t get much time on the pitch as a player. At just 20 years of age, Nagelsmann opted to end his playing career due to recurring knee injuries. His career has been mainly made up of managerial positions, so that’s what he knows best despite his young age.

He got stuck straight into the path of coaching, and started at the Hoffenheim youth academy. After five years coaching the younger sides, the young Nagelsmann was appointed manager of the senior team, having won the U19 Bundesliga title and earning his nickname of ‘Mini Mourinho’.

Nagelsmann became the youngest coach in Bundesliga history at just 28, and when he took hold of the reins at Hoffenheim, they were battling against relegation. He guided them to safety and then the following season, secured a Champions League qualification spot — the first time Die Kraichgauer had ever achieved this in their entire history.

After his tenure with Hoffenheim, Nagelsmann joined RB Leipzig before Bayern Munich snapped him up in 2021, for a world record managerial signing fee of €25 million (£21.4m). In his first season at Bayern, he won the Bundesliga title and the DFL-Supercup, so he knows exactly what it takes to guide a club to title wins.

Bayern stunned the world when they sacked Nagelsmann last year following a 2-1 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen. The club claimed the results that season did not reflect their expectations as a club. Nagelsmann left with a reported 71.4 percent win rate at Bayern — only Pep Guardiola, Hansi Flick and Carlo Ancelotti had averaged more Bundesliga points than him during their tenures.

The 36-year-old, still a young head on very experienced shoulders, is now in charge of the German national team. His experience managing at both domestic and international level makes him a very special candidate. While he has penned a contract extension through to the 2026 World Cup, that doesn’t mean his future is set in stone, as is proven every year, anything can happen on the transfer market.