Anyone we get in who isn't Klopp is a risk. We should make that clear right away..
Even when we appointed Klopp it felt like gift from God. One of the best coaches in world football falling on our lap. We were fortunate but also it's clear someone like Klopp was destined to manage Liverpool. That old Shankly quote - Liverpool was made for Klopp and Klopp was made for Liverpool.
The next man needs to be the right personality and someone who everyone can get behind. It needs to be someone who while confident isn't going to be a billy big bollocks who wants to make his own mark immediately and rips up the blueprint of a very promising team that Klopp will have left.
Just look how Klopp came in and got the most of what he had already. Gomez, Milner, Henderson, Firmino being cornerstones of the team for 8 or more years. Bringing Trent through, cashing in on other youngsters. He also got the best out of other pre existing players like Coutinho, Lovren, Origi, Lallana and a lot more while they were here, helping the team evolve over time.
It's clear that the man coming in is going to have to make the best out of what they have if we want to be competitive so we can concentrate the funds on where we need them, just like Klopp did. We will have to move very smart in the market to compete with the cheats, that's just the way it is.
If we go for Xabi, we all know that it's earlier than we would have liked. However, if in our assessments we agree that he is the perfect man. Perhaps it will be a blessing in disguise. Will he still have been at Leverkusen in 2 years? That's the way that I'm looking at it. We get the chance to lock him in before anyone else. Come the end of the season it may look like a no brainer.