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Luis Garcia thinks his former teammate Xabi Alonso should be wary about replacing Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.
Klopp stunned the football world today (January 26) when he announced he was leaving the Reds at the end of the season. The German coach explained that he'd 'run out of energy' in a shocking turn of events.
The former Borussia Dortmund coach arrived at Liverpool in October 2015. He's enjoyed massive success, winning the Premier League, the UEFA Champions League, and five more major trophies.
Jurgen Klopp will leave a lasting legacy at Anfield and following in his footsteps will be a tall order for his eventual replacement. Alonso has been touted as the favorite to succeed him amid his remarkable reign in charge of Bundesliga giants Bayer Leverkusen.
However, Garcia has reservations about the Spaniard taking the job because expectations will be sky-high off the back of Klopp's tenure. He said (via GOAL):
"Sometimes, rushing things is not very good. I'm not saying that Xabi is not ready to handle high-level management because I've just seen what he has done at Leverkusen, he is really, really remarkable and is continuing to do it."
Alonso has overseen 41 wins in 64 games across competitions at BayArena. He signed a new in the summer which expires in 2026.
Garcia alluded to this while touching on links with the Spanish tactician's former playing clubs:
"He has signed a new contract but there has been rumours about him leaving for Real Madrid, Bayern Munich but at the end I like the way Xabi is managing his career, taking a step at a time."
Garcia doesn't want Alonso to be Klopp's immediate replacement during a transition period:
"I don't want to bring in Xabi right after Jurgen Klopp because the legacy that Jurgen has left is so big that it will be difficult to match it. Everyone is going to expect from Xabi, not even a transition period."
He added:
"They want [him] to deliver the best of the best. They want Liverpool to be challenging for every single trophy, that's not easy. So I would like Xabi to arrive at Liverpool with that confidence. He has to make mistakes first, he has only just started his career."
Alonso spent five years with the Merseysiders during his playing days, becoming a fan favorite at Anfield. He made 210 appearances, winning four major trophies.
Alonso comments on potentially replacing Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool
Alonso was just as stunned as everybody to hear the news that Jurgen Klopp was leaving Liverpool. But, he affirmed that he was happy at Leverkusen when asked about speculation that he could be the German's successor (via transfer expert Fabrizio Romano):
“Speculation is normal, my focus is here on Bayer Leverkusen. I am very happy at Leverkusen with my players at the moment. Big surprise in Liverpool, of course — for what Jurgen did in Liverpool I have great respect and admiration."
Leverkusen are enjoying a phenomenal season under Alonso in which they sit top of the Bundesliga table. They are unbeaten in the league, with 15 wins in 18 games, and are also in the quarterfinals of the DFB-Pokal facing Stuttgart on February 6.
