Phil Thompson has shared what he has been told about Liverpool assistant boss Pepijn Lijnders and has named his second-choice manager for the role at Anfield when Jurgen Klopp leaves.
Jurgen Klopp will leave Liverpool as the manager of the first team at the end of the season.
Liverpool owners, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), are already looking for a potential successor. HITC understands that Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso is on their radar.
Former Liverpool star Phil Thompson has said that he would love FSG to hire Alonso as Klopp’s successor, but only if the Merseyside club fail to convince Pepijn Lijnders to take over.
Thompson has shared what he has been told about Lijnders and Liverpool coaching sessions at the AXA Training Centre.
Lijnders is the assistant manager of Liverpool at the moment. HITC has been told that Ajax are keen on hiring him as their boss at the end of the season.
Phil Thompson comments on Liverpool assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders
Thompson said about Lijnders on talkSPORT (9:15 am, March 8, 2024): “Pep Lijnders, listen, I have always that – I would love to have seen it.
“But, as it is, Pep is loyal to Jurgen. We know these guys move on now, they grow in a group, and so is Pep going to go where Jurgen Klopp is going to surface? And he will surface somewhere. Maybe Pep is doing that.
“I would love for him to be considered. I think he has been a massive part. People think it is all about Jurgen, but Pep has been a massive, massive help to Jurgen along the way.
“He has got great values himself. He drives this team on in the coaching sessions, so yes, I would do.
“If it is not him, I, like everybody else, would hope that it would be Xabi Alonso, but the thing what has happened with Bayern, has muddied the waters, hasn’t it?”
My View: Liverpool should not appoint Pepijn Lijnders
In my opinion, Liverpool should not hire Pepijn Lijnders as their manager after Jurgen Klopp.
If Lijnders wants to stay on in a coaching role, then, yes, absolutely, but I think that making the 41-year-old their manager would be a wrong move.
There is no doubt that the Dutchman is a very good coach. And, no one should doubt his importance in the current Liverpool set-up.
But, Lijnders has had only one managerial role in his career so far. That was at NEC in 2018, and it lasted for only a few months.
Managing a massive club like Liverpool is not easy and is a big job. Liverpool need someone who has the experience and has endured the pressure.
Lijnders may be a very good coach and tactically brilliant, but managing a club like Liverpool when he does not have relevant experience would be a risky move.
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