‘If Xabi Alonso had wanted the Liverpool job, Arne Slot might still be in Rotterdam' Respected writer and Liverpool fan Tony Evans provides the inside story of the quest to replace Jurgen Klopp and the shocking factor no one expected

Illustration of Arne Slot by Neil Jamieson, The Sporting Press.

Jurgen Klopp’s announcement that he was going to leave Liverpool was a shock. In some ways.

Before the German’s final season at Anfield, veteran Klopp-watchers were speculating about how long he would last. The previous campaign had not gone well. The team finished fifth.

Age had hit them hard, particularly in midfield. It had also hit Klopp, who is ranked at no.29 in FourFourTwo's list of the greatest managers ever. He looked a shadow of his former self; a husk of the bouncy, smiling, up-for-a-fight leader that the red part of Merseyside fell in love with.