Liverpool: Richard Hughes talks held with Xabi Alonso representatives to replace Jurgen Klopp
By Andrew Delaney
Richard Hughes has held talks with Xabi Alonso’s representatives about the Bayer Leverkusen boss becoming the next Liverpool manager, according to the Mirror.
The newspaper reported in their print edition on Thursday (21 March, page 46) that Liverpool’s new incoming sporting director wants to persuade Alonso to take up the role and has already held talks with his representatives.
Hughes takes over officially on 1 June, and will be on the hunt for a new manager with Jurgen Klopp set to leave Anfield after nine years in charge at the end of the season.
In his role as Bournemouth’s technical director, Hughes was instrumental in bringing Andoni Iraola to the Vitality Stadium as manager last summer.
That could prove beneficial to Liverpool, as Iraola and Alonso share the same agent, meaning negotiations could go smoothly should they make the ex-Reds midfielder their top target.
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Despite still only being in his first full season of senior management, Alonso is the most sought-after manager in Europe right now, following his successes with Bayer Leverkusen.
The ‘Eternal Bridesmaids’ are dubbed as such due to their frequent failures of claiming an elusive Bundesliga title, but under Alonso, they are set to end that 119-year wait for top-flight glory in Germany, having opened up a 10-point gap at the top of the standings.
Leverkusen remain unbeaten across all competition this season, and a favourable draw against West Ham United in the Europa League makes them one of the fancied sides for continental honours too.
Having gone 38 games without defeat this season, Die Werkself are also expected to claim the DFB-Pokal, with no other Bundesliga sides left in the final four.
That makes Alonso hot property at the moment, with Bayern Munich being another of his former clubs also believed to be interested in his services.
Replacing Klopp at Anfield will be one of the most thankless tasks in football this summer, given the bond he has created with supporters on Merseyside, but Alonso has shown early signs that he has the pedigree to compete at the very top.
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