Xabi Alonso warned against replacing Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool as former Reds team-mate says German’s legacy is ‘difficult to match’

The German manager revealed the bombshell news that he would be departing the Reds at the end of the season on Friday, having joined the club in October 2015. During his tenure at the club, he has won seven trophies with the club including a Champions League in 2019. Former Reds midfielder Alonso has now been touted as the number-one candidate to replace him on the touchline at the start of next season. However, Garcia believes that the Bayer Leverkusen manager would be better off swerving the opportunity.

Talking on the CBS Sports Golazo's Morning Footy show, Garcia said: "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. 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.

"I don't want to bring in Xabi right after Jurgen Klopp because the legacy that Jürgen 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. 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 started his coaching career in the second division of Spain with Real Sociedad B before joining the German club in the summer of 2022. After a transition period in his first season, Alonso's Leverkusen have set the Bundesliga alight as the club is currently on top of the table with a four-point gap over defending champions, Bayern Munich, and are unbeaten after 18 games.

With Klopp set to leave at the end of the season, the Reds will be looking to give their all on the field as they look to give the German the exit of a lifetime while competing for all the trophies. The club are next in action when Norwich City visit Anfield for the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday, January 28.