Barcelona sporting director admits Jurgen Klopp admiration

As the football world digests the news of Jurgen Klopp stepping down as Liverpool coach at the end of the season - and Xavi Hernandez doing the same at Barcelona - many are starting to put two and two together.

Therefore, as the hunt for a new manager at Camp Nou gets under way, it should come as no surprise that the German's name has been mooted.

When asked in an interview with La Vanguardia, Barça sporting director Deco acknowledged Klopp's coaching prowess, labelling him a "great coach". However, he remained tight-lipped about any potential move.

"He's a great coach, but I don't think it's the right time to talk about that. The new coach will want to make changes, but first, we will have to explain the project and the ideas. There are many options," he said.

Key attributes

Speaking broadly about Xavi's successor, Deco outlined key attributes required for the role: "He has to follow a line of work; we will hardly be a team that doesn't want to play well, that doesn't want to have the ball.

"Starting from that idea, each coach has his own characteristics, but whoever comes in has to have the ambition and hunger to do great things. And he must know where he is coming from."

Klopp, whose style of football clearly fits this profile, has publicly expressed his intention to take a year-long break from football. Despite this, though, the German manager still finds himself in the midst of rumours linking him to the coveted managerial position in the Catalan capital.

Other candidates

When pressed about other potential candidates, such as former Barcelona players Thiago Motta and Rafa Marquez, Deco admitted limited knowledge of the Italian's recent work.

However, he praised Marquez's coaching journey, describing the current Barcelona B boss as "a young coach growing in the face of difficulties".

"Being here will make him a better coach," Deco said.