Next Klopp job: Bayern Munich links prompt instant reaction as Liverpool chances of losing Xabi Alonso are debated

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has given a blunt response to the suggestion that Jurgen Klopp could have his head turned by Bayern Munich in the summer.

It emerged on Wednesday morning that current incumbent Thomas Tuchel will leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season, less than a year after being appointed at the Allianz Arena.

The news of Tuchel’s impending departure comes less than a month after Klopp announced that he will step down from his post at Liverpool in the summer, citing burnout after almost nine years in charge at Anfield.

Klopp’s decision to leave comes despite Liverpool holding a one-point lead over reigning champions Manchester City at the top of the table, with the Merseyside club searching for only their second title triumph of the Premier League era.

Klopp memorably ended Liverpool’s 30-year wait for a league title in 2020, 12 months after securing the club’s sixth Champions League crown.

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While Klopp intends to take some time away from football, the availability of arguably the most coveted job in his homeland of Germany has led to suggestions that the 56-year-old could be tempted to make a sensational switch to Bayern Munich as Tuchel’s replacement.

Speaking to talkSPORT radio, however, Murphy has claimed there is “no chance” of Klopp popping up at the Allianz Arena in the summer.

He said: “I’d be amazed.

“He’s given up this wonderful relationship he’s got with the Liverpool supporters and the affinity he’s got with the football club and the people and all that, to then go and start work again six weeks later? No chance.

“He seems a man of his word. It seems a genuine reason for him to [leave].

“I can’t think of an ulterior motive that’s behind it for him to then say: ‘I’m going to be working somewhere else.'”

Xabi Alonso to choose Liverpool over Bayern Munich?

Klopp stands as the last man to deny Bayern Munich the Bundesliga title, having led Borussia Dortmund to the German championship in 2012.

Xabi Alonso, the former Liverpool and Bayern Munich midfielder, is increasingly likely to replicate Klopp’s success this season, with the Spaniard’s Bayer Leverkusen side currently holding an eight-point lead over Bayern at the top of the table.

Alonso is widely regarded as the favourite to replace Klopp at Anfield, but the opening of a vacancy at another of his former clubs could see Liverpool face a battle from Bayern Munich for his signature.

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Given a straight choice, Murphy reckons Alonso would choose Liverpool having established a closer relationship with the club’s fans compared to his time in Germany.

He added: “I think with ego as well, the Liverpool fans adored him more than Munich fans. He had more of an impact in his time at Liverpool than he did in Munich.

“If he goes to Munich, of course, they’ll welcome him, but if he’s not doing well after a few months [he could be sacked].

“With the Liverpool fans, he’s got free hit for a season at least.”

Murphy’s fellow pundit, the former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan, agreed that Klopp is unlikely to have his head turned by Bayern Munich – and claimed the pull of the Premier League would see Alonso choose Liverpool over Bayern.

Asked if Liverpool should be worried by Bayern’s interest in Alonso, he said: “It depends if [Liverpool] are categorically – rather than press reports – wedded to the idea of getting Alonso.

“I don’t see Jurgen Klopp going back on his word, because very rarely in football do people give an unequivocal answer. They leave margin in there.

“‘I’m the Crystal Palace manager until someone tells me something different,’ was what Steve Bruce told me once upon a time, then the next day he went to Birmingham.

“In this instance, Klopp has not left any margin of error in there. He’s not left any debate. He’s specifically and explicitly told you what he’s going to do.

“And you don’t [often] hear that in football. You hear ambiguity. There’s no ambiguity in there.

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“I don’t know whether [Alonso] is the absolute candidate. The conventional wisdom suggests that he is.

“He’s got a relationship with Bayern Munich, he’s got a relationship with Liverpool. If he has that embarrassment of riches, poor old Bayer Leverkusen will sitting on the sidelines going: ‘What are we, the run of the litter? What are we, the chopped liver?’

“Liverpool are a big football club. If Alonso is someone they want, they will have just as much of an opportunity as Bayern Munich.

“The Premier League is the land that everyone wants to manage in. They all want to come here. They all end up being here at some point. There’s always an ambition for them to come to the Premier League.

“So if he’s managed in Germany, then the Premier League is the next frontier.

“But, of course, Bayern Munich is a legacy football club.”

Tuchel’s availability in the summer could see another name enter the frame for the Liverpool job, having guided Chelsea to Champions League success during his previous spell in England.

Murphy, however, believes Tuchel’s volatility would make him a poor fit for Liverpool.

“No,” Murphy responded when asked if Tuchel could arrive at Anfield in the summer. “Doesn’t fit.

“He’s too divisive, he’s not a Liverpool manager. Not for me.”

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