Club chairman and Liverpool fan desperate to see "the best of the next breed" replace Jurgen Klopp

Although it still feels unreal, Liverpool are hard at work behind the scenes to replace Jurgen Klopp at the end of the season. The German is in the final few months of his reign as the club's manager and now, owners Fenway Sports Group must pivot with authority.

Xabi Alonso remains the favourite to replace Klopp although there is a growing fear that Bayern Munich could sneak in and poach the Spanish coach.

This season, he has wowed Europe with his thrilling Bayer Leverkusen side dominating the Bundesliga.

At the time of writing, B04 are on 61 points after 23 games with a lead of 11 points over Bayern.

But Peterborough United chairman and Liverpool fan Darragh MacAnthony is worried that the Reds have fallen asleep at the wheel regarding hiring Alonso in the summer.

While Kicker's Georg Holzner says Liverpool and Alonso are in advanced talks over a summer agreement, Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg claims that Alonso would currently prefer to move to the Allianz Arena over Anfield.

One thing is clear: Liverpool would regret missing out on Alonso, who MacAnthony says is the "the best of the next breed.”

Liverpool warned not to let Xabi Alonso slip away as fans wait with bated breath for news of Klopp's replacement

“If Liverpool have snoozed on that one they will have made a big mistake,” Boro chairman Darragh MacAnthony told The Hard Truth Podcast.

“With all due respect to Bayern Munich, Liverpool is a bigger club."

“What is Xabi Alonso going to do? He’s going to win where he is at the moment. Then he is going to go to Bayern where he is expected to win the title every year. This is Liverpool we are talking about. I know Bayern are a massive club but it’s not Liverpool.

“Liverpool don’t need to be asleep at the wheel on that. Somebody needs to go and sit with him and say you’re our guy. Maybe he doesn’t want to follow Klopp, maybe it’s easier following Tuchel because he’s failing but he seems to be the best of the next breed.”

Why is Europe sitting up and taking such close attention to relative managerial newbie Xabi Alonso?

Aside from the fact that Alonso could become the first coach since Jurgen Klopp in 2013 to beat Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title, he's doing it in truly astonishing fashion.

Alonso's tactics are truly beyond his years and apply a bit more context to the high IQ he demonstrated as a player. He comes from a football family - his dad was a player and a manager too. Jose Mourinho spoke about his credentials as a coach in detail to Top Eleven in 2019 but it's clear he's destined for the top as a manager.

His team plays with a clear identity which is a good sign that Alonso not only has clear and effective football principles but that he's also able to get his message across to his players in a way they can translate on the pitch.

Leverkusen have been dominant, swashbuckling, professional, expressive and entertaining. All traits you would expect of a coach linked with the Liverpool job.