Liverpool's defeat against Arsenal on Sunday evening blew the Premier League title race wide open, with Manchester City star Phil Foden's treble at Brentford meaning Pep Guardiola's side will return to the top if they win their game in hand.
Jurgen Klopp will have urged his squad to remain calm, still first-placed at present, advanced in the FA Cup and Europa League and awaiting Chelsea at Wembley in the Carabao Cup final at the end of the month.
The German is stepping down from his position as manager at the end of the season but will be leaving Liverpool in a great position, revived as contenders at the forefront of the Premier League.
Signing the right replacement will be crucial…
Xabi Alonso is the dream Klopp replacement
Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Liverpool are targeting Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso to succeed Klopp in the Anfield dugout, with the Spaniard – key to Liverpool's Champions League triumph of 2005 – working wonders atop the German Bundesliga table.
Now, transfer insider Dean Jones has revealed to GIVEMESPORT that Alonso would be unanimously welcomed back on Merseyside, saying: "There are very few people who support Liverpool, follow Liverpool, have any involvement with Liverpool, that would have a problem with Xabi Alonso being announced as their next manager. So I think it's a no-lose situation to go and give him the job."
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Spanish reports have also claimed that Alonso's first port of all as Liverpool boss would be to request a swoop for Leverkusen whiz Florian Wirtz, who has a €70m (£60m) price tag.
Liverpool's own Kevin De Bruyne
£60m is no small sum but Liverpool showed their willingness to part such lofty figures for rising stars from the German scene last summer after sealing a £60m swoop for Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig.
And what a prospect – if that is even an apt term for such a prodigious 20-year-old in Wirtz – Liverpool would land, already well-versed in Alonso's style and boasting a dynamic skill set that has led teammate Victor Boniface to pronounce him a "magician" on the pitch.
As per FBref, the German ranks among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists and passes attempted, the top 13% for shot-creating actions and progressive passes, the top 7% for successful take-ons and the top 19% for progressive carries per 90.
1.
Dejan Kulusevski
Tottenham Hotspur
2.
Kevin De Bruyne
Manchester City
3.
Heung-min Son
Tottenham Hotspur
Source: Football Transfers
Given Wirtz's similarities to Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne, as displayed above, it's understandable that Alonso would be desperate to arrive at Anfield with the playmaker in tow.
As per Sofascore, Wirtz has been in scintillating showing this season, scoring five goals and supplying eight assists across 20 Bundesliga appearances and completing 85% of his passes, averaging 2.4 key passes, 5.5 ball recoveries and 2.7 dribbles per game.
De Bruyne might have spent the lion's share of the campaign injured on the sidelines but he has returned with his talismanic brilliance intact, posting three assists and a goal from three league outings since picking up the issue on the opening day of the term.
To elucidate on the semblance in style, De Bruyne ranks among the top 1% of midfielders for goals scored, assists and shot-creating actions and the top 3% for progressive passes per 90 – admittedly, he's the gold standard.
Wirtz would do well to achieve Premier League success that draws comparisons to the Belgian machine, one of the finest and most influential players in the division's history, but if FSG secure Alonso to the dugout, this could become an actuality for the red half of Merseyside.
