Diego Simeone proves again why he's the man all elite Premier League sides should want

View 3 Images

In light of the Champions League results on Wednesday night, it would be easy to put two-nil and two-nil together and come up with Diego Simeone for Liverpool. It is not the most fanciful shout.

Bookmakers being bookmakers - anything to make an extra pound - they are offering odds on who will succeed Arne Slot, even though the guy is still in the job. And for what it is worth, I think the Premier League triumph of 2024/25 should give Slot enough credit to start next season at Anfield, regardless of what happens in the remaining seven weeks of the current campaign.

But even his most ardent supporters would have to admit the signs do not look good for Slot. Which is why there is trade in the next-Liverpool-manager market.

Xabi Alonso is the odds-on favourite and Simeone is among the outsiders, currently priced at 20-1. But the idea is not too outrageous.

Simeone has been Atletico Madrid’s manager since December 2011, and it really is hard to imagine him anywhere else. But his current contract only runs until the summer of 2027.

While the Champions League win at the Nou Camp on Wednesday was a fantastic result, last Sunday’s home defeat to Barcelona left them 19 points adrift of Hansi Flick's La Liga leaders. He turns 56 later this month and could be ready for a new challenge.

The managerial market could again be interesting this summer. The suggestions that Pep Guardiola will call time on his Manchester City era at the end of this season remain strong, and in theory, the Manchester United job will be available, even though you would have to say Michael Carrick looks well-positioned for that one.

View 3 Images

Slot is obviously under severe pressure and don’t think Liam Rosenoir’s long-term deal will stop him being in the firing line of Chelsea do not have a good end to the season. Again, the most realistic long-term scenario for Simeone is an extension of his time in Madrid.

Alternatively, he has expressed an interest in going back to Serie A, where he enjoyed a lot of his playing time. And his very limited grasp of English has always been seen as a barrier to a move to the Premier League.

But he would still be a compelling addition to a competition which needs any compelling addition it can get. Over almost a decade and a half at Atletico, he has taken charge of 788 games, recording 466 wins, 170 draws and 152 losses.

From 2013-14 onwards, after winning the first of their two La Liga titles under Simeone, Atletico have qualified for the Champions League every season, twice falling to agonising final defeats at the hands of Real Madrid in the space of three years between 2014 and 2016. But if any interested Premier League club wanted further proof of his managerial qualities, they should catch up with the press conference he gave ahead of the 2-0 win in Barcelona in the Champions League.

View 3 Images

Sat next to the Frenchman, Simeone paid tribute to Antoine Griezmann, who is leaving Atletico for MLS side Orlando City SC at the end of the season. The subtitles move you to tears, I swear.

“I want to thank you for your hard work and humility,” he told Griezmann. "You are an admirable person in a society where young people need role models like you.

“Thank you for your commitment, for knowing how to distinguish between the friendship we share and the professional relationship between a coach and a player. I view you first as a player and only then as a friend. I love you but you know that if you don’t run tomorrow, you are out.”