Alonso flops; Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold leave – five predictions for a post-Klopp Liverpool

Alonso, Klopp and Salah

Liverpool have had it bloody good for the past nine years with Jurgen Klopp, but his summer exit could kickstart a Manchester United-esque doom period.

Eleven years after Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, Man Utd still have yet to recover. While it may not take Liverpool as long to return to the top – if indeed this end of an era even marks their fall from there – a spell of misery is inevitable while they come to grips with life without Klopp as their manager.

The elected ‘chosen one’ may crumble under pressure, while several key players could follow Klopp in leaving. Here are five predictions for what will happen during Liverpool’s upcoming doom period…

Xabi Alonso does a David Moyes

Of the managers mentioned as possible successors for Klopp, club legend Xabi Alonso feels like the most natural fit.

Gone are the days when Steven Gerrard was being tipped for a return to Liverpool as manager. His coaching reputation has taken quite the hit since his spell at Rangers and he is fortunate that his 33% win percentage has been deemed enough to earn him a contract extension with Al-Ettifaq.

With the Saudi money-grabber as far away from the Liverpool manager’s job as he’s perhaps ever been, his former team-mate Alonso has overtaken (and lapped him) in the running to replace Klopp.

Following in the footsteps of fellow Spanish managers Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta, Alonso has burst onto the coaching scene with Bayer Leverkusen. The funniest football moment ever is at risk of happening as his side are threatening to beat Harry Kane’s stuttering Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title.

Alonso is destined for great things in management and no-one could begrudge him if he is picked to replace Klopp. But the task of successfully succeeding the German is going to be a thankless one.

The main aim a manager has when taking a job is to do better than his predecessor to leave the club in a better position than when he took over. And as good as Alonso is, it would be pretty much impossible for him to achieve this feat.

He would have a far greater chance of succeeding at Liverpool if he lets a couple of managers fail at Anfield while he gains more experience at Leverkusen. A premature leap leaves him at risk of doing a David Moyes by attempting to replace the irreplaceable.

While Alonso can grow elsewhere, let Jose Mourinho draw the short straw and take the bullets as Klopp’s successor. You’d be lying if you said you wouldn’t want to see how that would unfold…

MAILBOX: The Jurgen Klopp leaving Liverpool Mailbox… Anfield anguish, relief everywhere else, and who next?

Salah heads to Saudi Pro League

Should Liverpool opt for banter over sense by appointing Mourinho, it would push Mo Salah even further towards the exit door after the ex-Chelsea manager reduced the winger to “tears” during their time together at Stamford Bridge.

But regardless of whoever replaces Klopp, Salah’s future feels intertwined with the Saudi Pro League.

After Al-Ittihad failed with a £150m offer for Salah in the summer, it has been heavily reported that they and other Saudi Pro League sides will attempt to land the Egypt international at the end of this season when there will just be a year left on his Liverpool contract.

Saudi Pro League Director of Football Michael Emenalo admitted last year that he “adores” Salah and as proven by transfers over the past year, when the Middle East nation wants a player, they tend to get them.

The money on the table for Salah would be mind-numbing and with Liverpool about to go through a trepidatious transition phase, this summer would not be a bad time to jump ship.

(Oh and another thing. Klopp’s exit also means Kylian Mbappe will not be signing for Liverpool. But he never was going to anyway, so this not-so-hot take did not warrant a few more paragraphs).

Alexander-Arnold or Van Dijk leave in 2025

While Salah’s departure is likely to come in the summer so Liverpool can secure themselves a tidy profit, Klopp’s decision could edge two more vital players closer to the exit door.

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk are out of contract in 2025 and Liverpool’s bargaining power in negotiations over new deals for the pair will have been dampened by Klopp’s imminent exit.

This may also be the case for other players in the future as it’s reasonable to assume that Klopp’s presence was a significant reason behind them choosing to sign for Liverpool in the first place.

As for Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk, they have come under criticism at various points but they – along with Salah – have been back to their supreme best this season to help Liverpool mount a serious challenge for the title.

They will not be short of potential suitors if their respective futures remain in doubt heading into next season and while 32-year-old Van Dijk is the more likely of the two to leave to secure a huge end-of-career payday (in Saudi with Salah, perhaps), reported Real Madrid target Alexander-Arnold could also opt to broaden his horizons.

Man City’s era of dominance lasts *EVEN* longer

Klopp and Liverpool would have won far more trophies had it not been for the robotic excellence of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

Liverpool are the only side who have consistently got in the way of City’s dominance of English football since Guardiola’s arrival in 2016.

Arsenal put up a great fight for the title last season but they – as a result of their poor form in December – already face an uphill battle of going one better this time around.

Instead, Liverpool 2.0 appear to be the best-placed title contender to prevent City from winning four Premier League titles in a row. The speed with which Klopp has managed to rebuild his side after last season’s disappointment has been phenomenal.

While Klopp’s announcement will likely boost Liverpool’s title chances this season, they will have to enjoy the moment while it lasts before the expected dip following the culmination of this campaign.

With Klopp out of the picture, Liverpool 2.0 will be significantly weakened and with Arsenal a level or two below City, their era of dominance should now last for a little while longer and not fully come to an end until Guardiola similarly gets bored and moves on.

FSG forced out as fan disgruntlement grows

Worrying times may be ahead for Liverpool on the pitch and Klopp’s exit could also spell danger for owners Fenway Sports Group.

Since taking over, Klopp has tremendously built Liverpool around his image and he is the glue that has held the club together while there’s been conflict between supporters and FSG.

Complaints supporters have had of FSG have largely centred around the lack of backing given to Klopp, who has helped his side challenge Man City. despite having a lower budget to work with than his rivals.

But without a strong figurehead on the touchline with immense support from all quarters of the club, FSG – just as the Glazer family did post-Sir Alex Ferguson – become more vulnerable and at risk of backlash from increasingly frustrated supporters, who will get their pitchforks out when things start to go awry.