Liverpool have another Jurgen Klopp successor on the rise as teammate Steven Gerrard impresses

Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has been touted as Jürgen Klopp’s possible successor at Liverpool, but his former team-mate is making strides in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen.

It was once almost expected that Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard would eventually succeed Jürgen Klopp as manager, when the German boss eventually leaves.

Liverpool fans are hoping Klopp’s departure from Anfield is still a long way off, but there’s no harm in preparing for any possibility as the former Borussia Dortmund manager’s contract expires in 2026. Gerrard, considered by many to be the the club’s greatest ever player, he still has time to revive his managerial career, but it would be fair to say his side has suffered a bit following his sacking from Aston Villa, despite impressing in Scotland with Rangers previously.

That said, those in power at FSG may already be keeping tabs on Gerrard’s former midfield partner Xabi Alonso, who has just assumed his first major management role at Bayer Leverkusen. Already beloved at the Kop following his successful spell with Merseyside as a player, the Spaniard is already enjoying critical acclaim in Germany after being offered the job a few months ago.

Alonso took charge at Leverkusen in October, with the former Champions League finalists languishing in 18th place in the Bundesliga, and steadyed the ship – the German outfit now reside, heading into the weekend of action, in a more respectable 10 ° place in the table. Even more impressive is the fact that the former Reds midfielder achieved this feat largely by appealing to youth prospects.

Sure, one might expect an Alonso side to dominate possession and play in a tiki-taka style similar to that of the legendary Spanish side he played under Vicente del Bosque, but the former Real Sociedad youth coach has instead displayed his tactical awareness by using a more pragmatic style to prioritize the stifling of the strongest parties in the division. This approach has paid off, with Leverkusen rising steadily in the table during his tenure to date. Alonso also appears to have been an inspirational influence on a number of key players at the Bay Arena, with star midfielder Florian Wirtz calling the 41-year-old “someone you can model after” in a November interview. He also looks poised to get a melody from the much-hyped Moussa Diaby, who was a bust at the start of the season but has scored six goals since his arrival.

Leverkusen’s impressive 5-3 aggregate win over Monaco to progress to the last 16 of this week’s Europa League was the latest highlight of Alonso’s short but successful spell at the club. Fellow Liverpool.com writer Josh Williams has argued that RB Leipzig’s Marco Rose could be a potential successor to Klopp when the German boss finally leaves Anfield this week, but in Alonso, Rose could have a direct competitor in this regard.

The Bundesliga was the perfect breeding ground for Klopp and you can certainly see Liverpool returning to that market in 2026 looking for a replacement for him. There is still a long way to go for Alonso and he will likely need to prove he can make Leverkusen truly competitive at the top of the division over the next three years if he is to have a shot at the Anfield hot seat.

But with Alonso having smoothly established himself as one of Europe’s most talented young managers in the years between now and Klopp’s eventual departure, there’s no reason why a former Liverpool hero couldn’t become the next manager of the club after all.