Liverpool, Barcelona and Bayern have reached same conclusion in manager hunts

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A case of bad timing has hit Liverpool, Barcelona and Bayern Munich in their respective searches for new managers.

All three had been looking to appoint a new boss ahead of next season, with Jurgen Klopp and Xavi announcing their intention to step down, while Thomas Tuchel is being sacked. The announcements of those departures sparked a search for a manager at the trio of clubs.

At first, they all set their sights on high-calibre appointments. Xabi Alonso was heavily linked with both Liverpool and Bayern before ruling himself out of leaving Bayer Leverkusen, where he has won the Bundesliga title.

The Reds then turned their focus to Ruben Amorim, while Bayern made a push for Unai Emery. Again though, both moves failed to progress, with Liverpool now closing in on appointing Arne Slot instead.

Slot has impressed at Feyenoord, where he has won the Eredivisie title and the KNVB Cup, but he still appears to be a back-up option. Likewise, Bayern have seen Emery instead sign a new contract with Aston Villa.

That has seen them turn to former Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick, who has confirmed that talks are underway that would see him move to the Allianz Arena from his job with the Austrian national team.

Again, Rangnick would appear to be a back-up option and is far from the big-name boss Bayern will have wanted to appoint. Then we come to Barca, who also had Amorim in their sights, as well as Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi and, remarkably, Klopp.

But with the La Liga giants hardly an attractive destination due to their financial situation, Xavi has been convinced to make a U-turn and will now stay until at least the summer of 2025. It means all three 'big clubs' who had been searching for a boss have had to go to their back-up plans.

HAVE YOUR SAY! Is Arne Slot the right appointment for Liverpool? Comment below.

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Questions will now be raised that they should have waited another year before making a change, with a lack of top managers being willing to take charge this summer. Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher certainly believes choosing a back-up could create problems.

"What I would say from Feyenoord to Liverpool is a huge jump and I think it shows in this moment a lack of real top managers out there when you look at who Liverpool were going for. Now Arne Slot looks like he is the favourite," he told Sky Sports.

"I don't think it's like Rafa Benitez coming on or Jurgen Klopp coming in. Benitez came off the back of winning two La Liga titles and a UEFA Cup and Jurgen Klopp coming after winning a couple of titles with Borussia Dortmund and getting to a Champions League final.

"Liverpool are in a different area now and fancy themselves to challenge for the Premier League next season and the Champions League, they will be expected to reach the quarter-finals at least. I think it is a huge jump."

With Manchester United also likely to be in the hunt in a matter of weeks, demand appears to be significantly outweighing supply. And that all appears to be playing perfectly into the hands of Real Madrid - who for once seem to be in a relatively stable position.

Carlo Ancelotti's future had at one point looked uncertain, but with another La Liga and Champions League double in his sights, he looks set to stay on for at least one more season. That could leave the Spanish giants, with a dressing room sure to include Kylian Mbappe along with their current crop of Galcticos, able to get a free run at their preferred target in 12 month's time. Xabi Alonso anyone?

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