Liverpool are on the hunt for a new manager for the first time since Jürgen Klopp joined the club in 2016. The Reds have not really been linked much with one impressive option.
We know that Xabi Alonso will not be the next Liverpool manager and we know that Sporting CP boss Rúben Amorim is under consideration. We also know that the Reds will be guided by the data.
And for that reason, it is a surprise that one name has not been mentioned more with regard to the soon-to-be-vacant Liverpool manager hotseat.
Aside from Tuttosport suggesting Simone Inzaghi a few days ago, the Inter coach has not really been a name linked with the Reds, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and any other big club around Europe that is looking for another manager.
There are likely two reasons that can explain the fact that Inzaghi has been overlooked in most quarters, at least in terms of the Liverpool job. And they are admittedly potentially substantial roadblocks.
Firstly, the 47-year-old doesn’t speak English. That is a big negative in terms of his suitability. And secondly, Inzaghi is not necessarily in a rush to leave Serie A.
“It’s enormously pleasing [to be linked with big clubs like Liverpool and Barcelona],” he said recently, via Tuttomercato.
“I don’t think we should just talk about Inzaghi but about Inter. We are doing an excellent job and we must continue to do so.
“Interests can be read and felt. They have always been there when I coached Lazio (and) in the first two years of Inter. Let’s hope they are still there in the future, but I’m not interested in hearing them.”
Ultimately, though, language barrier aside, he should be considered an ideal candidate — and all the options on the table have flaws of some form.
Inzaghi took Inter to the Champions League final last season where it could easily have beaten Manchester City and his side is 14 points clear at the top of Serie A this time around.
Inter has only lost one league match all season and has scored at least 16 more goals than any other team in the division. It was only knocked out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage by Atlético Madrid on penalties.
And all of that has come amid a difficult financial situation. Inter had to sell André Onana to Manchester United last summer to raise funds and Inzaghi has kept his side heading in the right direction despite the surrounding circumstances.
In terms of his credentials, Inzaghi has a long history of producing big results at the top of a big league (and in Europe) despite a tricky economic situation.
He has experience but is young enough to arrive with plenty of exuberance and energy, and he has been overachieving and getting the best out of the group of players that he has to work with.
Perhaps the lack of English speaking is a dealbreaker for Liverpool anyway and perhaps Inzaghi would reject any advances even if the Reds were interested, but it is interesting that he has not been spoken about as much as other candidates with far lesser CVs. He could, in time, learn English as many other Premier League managers have.
It might be a sign that Serie A is not viewed as favorably in England these days as it once was for why most people haven’t discussed him, or that there are simply fewer eyeballs on it than previously.
But Inzaghi is certainly someone that Liverpool should consider — even if he, like all the other candidates, would still come with some drawbacks.
