Topics: Champions League, Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool, Premier League, Real Madrid
Jurgen Klopp has been tipped for a shock return to football management and Liverpool fans would hate to see it happen.
Klopp is an Anfield legend thanks to his connection with Liverpool supporters between 2015 and 2024 as well as the Premier League title and Champions League trophy he brought back to the club.
The former Borussia Dortmund boss took up a global football strategy role with Red Bull in January and has responsibility for the energy drink giant's multi-club ownership system and potential future input at Leeds United and Rangers.
But with reports indicating that Klopp could abandon his wiiings to get back to management rather earlier than expected, speculation about where that might happen is rife.
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Klopp's relationship with Liverpool is such that most options would be difficult for fans to swallow but one of the leading candidates would taste especially bitter.
According to another former Premier League manager, Klopp would give Red Bull the elbow to tackle the challenge of replacing Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid.
Liverpool fans have reacted furiously to confirmation that right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold has ended his association with his boyhood club after two decades as a Red and his imminent move to Real Madrid means a Bernabeu appointment for Klopp would be even more unpopular on Merseyside than it would be in normal circumstances.
Allardyce told the Footy Accumulators No Tippy Tappy Football podcast: "It's a shame Trent won't have Carlo Ancelotti, because Carlo is up there with Pep Guardiola. He is the ultimate man manager. But I think Klopp would leave any job he's got now to go to Real Madrid."
Allardyce suggested that Alexander-Arnold's decision to join Real Madrid could be a factor in Klopp potentially following suit and reckons the England defender made the right call on his future.
"I think he's done the right thing," said the former stalwart of England's top division.
"What a career he’s had, that pressure. I've had Ivan Campo and Fernando Hierro tell me about what happens at Real Madrid, as a player, never mind as a manager.
"It's relentless, there's no hiding place once they decide to go. It's a great move for him. He's served Liverpool exceptionally well and deserves the opportunity."
Allardyce was also clear that he believes Jamie Carragher, the former Liverpool defender and Sky Sports pundit who has been outspoken about Alexander-Arnold's departure, would have done the same thing.
Carragher's response to Klopp taking charge of Los Blancos, Liverpool's rivals in his estimation, would be fascinating.
