If Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp decides to end his association with the club in 2021, the owners should look to Mauricio Pochettino to fill the void.
Taking a step up from the German will be virtually impossible. He’s on another level from any other manager in the world, except Pep Guardiola, and you doubt whether the Spaniard would be interested in crossing the divide from City when his deal expires.
But Pochettino should be of interest to FSG. His style of play is similar to Klopp. They both favour front-foot football that places a huge emphasis on physical fitness and high pressing. They both like to develop youth, so there is no danger that there would be chronic stagnation in the ranks. They both improve players – another vital box ticked.
Despite the lack of trophies at Tottenham, there is no doubt that Poch is a world-class manager – someone nearly on par with Klopp. He could certainly become one at Liverpool, who would provide him with a more relaxed financial structure than Daniel Levy ever could at Spurs, and a group of players who are experienced and at the top of their game.
The history of Klopp tends to suggest this contract will be his last. Both his spells in Germany, with Mainz and Borussia Dortmund, lasted seven years, while Klopp’s final campaign with BVB was similar to the way Poch’s ended with Tottenham.
One thing holding Pochettino back could be his lack of charisma and failings to connect with the group of players. His brand of football requires complete buy-in from the squad, just like Klopp’s, but without that magnetism it can be harder to deliver repeated success when the chips are down. That is something FSG would have to consider very seriously.
There will be lots of interest in the former Spurs man now, and you could see Bayern Munich licking their lips at the chance of getting him for free in the summer, but Liverpool shouldn’t discount the possibility of convincing him that 2021 is the year Poch and Anfield are joined.