With speculation gorwing over the future of Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, attention has turned to who could replace the German when he eventually leaves Anfield.
Klopp has found himself under increased scrutiny this season after a hugely disappointing first half of the campaign.
Liverpool are currently 10th in the Premier League, 11 points off the top four, and have already been eliminated from the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.
It is a remarkable decline from a team that came close to winning an unprecedented quadruple only last season.
Klopp has suggested he will stay and fight to turn the club’s fortunes around, while reports suggest he retains the full backing of the owners.
But that could change, should Liverpool be eliminated from the Champions League – their last realistic hope of major silverware this season.
Liverpool face Real Madrid in the last 16 of the competition in a repeat of last season’s final, which ended in a 1-0 win for the Spanish side in Paris.
Klopp’s counterpart at the Bernabeu, Carlo Ancelotti, also finds himself under pressure, with Madrid currently eight points behind bitter rivals Barcelona in the La Liga title race.
There have been suggestions in the Spanish press that Ancelotti’s job could be under threat if they lose their tie against Liverpool.
Nichol backs Ancelotti for Liverpool
Former Reds defender Steve Nicol was asked about the possibility of Ancelotti being sacked at Madrid, and whether the former Everton manager would be the ‘right fit’ for Liverpool – should Klopp step down from his role.
“Let me tell you, Ancelotti would be a great manager for anybody, including Liverpool,” Nicol told ESPN.
“So, that’s not even a doubt.”
Liverpool host Madrid at Anfield in the first leg of their Champions League tie on February 21 before the two sides meet again at the Bernabeu on March 15.
Up next for Liverpool, however, is the Merseyside derby against Ancelotti’s former club, Everton, on Monday.
Liverpool told the ‘ideal’ manager to succeed Jurgen Klopp if he walks from Anfield
Arsenal legend Charlie Nicholas has identified the “ideal” manager to succeed Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool after the German head coach leaves Anfield.
Klopp, who is under contract with the Reds until 2026, has been hailed for his remarkable work at Liverpool since his arrival in 2015 from Borussia Dortmund.
The 55-year-old Liverpool manager has led the Reds to a Premier League title, a Champions League, an FA Cup and League Cup during his glittering spell.
However, Klopp has come under mounting criticism this season after Liverpool’s lacklustre campaign, with the Reds languishing in 10th place in the league table.
Liverpool, who suffered a 3-0 defeat to Wolves on Saturday, are 11 points adrift from the top four and could miss out on Champions League football next season.
Nicholas has now claimed that Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou would be the perfect fit for Liverpool if Klopp were to make an unexpected exit from Anfield.
Postecoglou was appointed head coach of the Scottish Premiership side in 2021 and led his club to the league title and Scottish League Cup in the 2021-22 campaign.
“I am not a Liverpool fan by any stretch of the imagination but I would be concerned about the possible impact managerial change at Anfield could have on Ange Postecoglou,” Nicholas wrote for the Scottish Daily Express.
“I know the Liverpool fans don’t want Klopp out but what happens if he turns around and says enough is enough? Could Ange for Liverpool become reality?
“Ange will have ambitions as well. Yes, he is at a top club but would a big club in a big league have even more pull?
“If Liverpool were to look for a manager, then surely Ange would have to come into the equation.
“I hate to say this because I know a lot of my fellow Celtic fans won’t like me saying this but Ange would be ideal for Liverpool.”
