Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann has suggested that Jose Mourinho could be a potential successor to Jurgen Klopp, who is leaving the club at the end of the season.
Mourinho, who has previously managed Manchester United, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur, is currently out of work and has expressed a desire to return to football management.
Hamann believes that Mourinho’s experience and success at major clubs make him a suitable candidate to replace Klopp, although he warns that Liverpool must be prepared for a difficult period following the German’s departure.
“That’s a valid point. I love Mourinho. He won’t be fazed by following Klopp. There might be managers who turn the job down that say ‘this is my dream job but to follow Klopp is just impossible’,” Hamann said via GOAL.
“We have seen what happened at Manchester United with Fergie, when he left. The more I think about it, the more I can see it happening for one or two seasons.
“Clubs make these five and eight-year plans and the manager is gone after six months, so it’s a day-to-day business and you don’t know what’s going to happen in three years.
“If you bring him in and say ‘blood the youngsters in, if you finish sixth next season that’s all good because in one or two years we have got a really good team with a lot of home-grown players’, then it’s fine.
“But it doesn’t make sense to bring someone in for the next five years, sign players for 100-odd million and then finish fifth or sixth – that’s unacceptable,” he added.
Mourinho was in the stands watching Liverpool beat Fulham 3-1 at Craven Cottage on Sunday.
Klopp is set to leave Liverpool at the end of the season after announcing his shock exit.
Klopp has delivered nine major honours during his illustrious Liverpool career including ending the wait for a first Premier League title and a sixth Champions League trophy.
Mourinho similarly became Premier League champion three times on two separate occasions at Chelsea along with the FA Cup and a further Europa League title with Man United.
His other successes in European management make him an ideal candidate to follow Klopp at Liverpool, as Hamann stated:
“You need someone who is big enough not to be fazed by the fact of following Klopp – someone who is successful and loved by the people, not only in the football club but also in the city.
“From that point of view, the more I think it might not be the worst choice. But you have to tell him that the youngsters have to play some part. I’m sure if they are good enough, then he will look at them and give them playing time,” he added.
