Liverpool legend wants Guardiola to replace Klopp as Reds boss

Amid talk of Steven Gerrard taking over, John Barnes raises concerns over his credentials to manage a club of Liverpool’s stature.

Pep Guardiola should be the one to replace Jurgen Klopp as the next Liverpool manager instead of Steven Gerrard, argues John Barnes.

Gerrard, who led Liverpool to nine major trophies as a player, has been linked with making a return to the club as a manager after guiding Rangers to a historic title triumph.

He ended a decade-long title drought for Rangers in 2020/21 – his third season in charge of the club – to stop Celtic’s dominance and bring a 55th Scottish Premiership trophy to the Ibrox Stadium.

The former midfielder’s name has been in discussions of potential candidates to take over the reins from Klopp, whose future has become a subject of speculations following Liverpool’s disastrous 2020/21 season.

“Pep Guardiola,” Barnes told BettingOdds.com of his ideal candidate to replace the former Dortmund boss at Anfield.

“Of course there are other managers that you would think are better suited, such as Steven Gerrard who has had a very good season at Rangers, but is he going to come to Liverpool off the back of one good year? Of course he would be given time because of his relationship with Liverpool.

“If you were to ask me now, if Jurgen Klopp left Liverpool tomorrow would I think Steven was the man for the job? Probably not because you would want a manager with more experience and is proven at the highest level. He would be given time because he’s Steven Gerrard, but would that be the right thing for Liverpool? Maybe not.

“I’m sure Steven will do really well over the course of his career, but he’s going to have to show a longer level of consistency over a longer period of time before we start linking him with the Liverpool job.”