Arne Slot’s remarkable start at Liverpool boss can perhaps be best measured not by the Reds sitting top of the Premier League, but by the fact he’s helped us forget about Xabi Alonso.
Back when Jurgen Klopp made his shock announcement to leave the club in January, there was only one man for the job in the eyes of the majority of Liverpool fans. Alonso was breaking records left, right and center at Bayer Leverkusen, and his connection to Anfield made him the ideal man to immediately get supporters on side.
That dream though was soon shattered as the former midfielder pledged his immediate future to Leverkusen, causing Liverpool to turn its attention to Slot.
I, like so many fans now, am glad they did. But the Alonso appeal was obvious: it wasn’t just his incredible record at Leverkusen that had swayed me, although that clearly played a massive part. It was the familiarity that he would have brought amid Liverpool’s biggest change in almost a decade.
A return as head coach to lead Liverpool into a golden new era just made sense. Of course, Slot is painting just as bright a future at the moment, and it might mean Alonso never gets his chance at Anfield.
As much as I loved watching Alonso the midfield maestro, I care a lot more about Liverpool continuing its success post-Klopp. If that means Slot for the next decade or so, then I can happily live with not seeing Alonso the manager up close.
What does fill me with dread though is the idea of the Spaniard taking over at one of Liverpool’s rivals. Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are obvious links, but there is a prospect much worse than those that suddenly becomes a lot more viable.
The idea of Alonso taking over from Pep Guardiola at Manchester City is one that hasn’t been talked about much, but it’s something I couldn’t help but view as a distinct possibility the moment he decided to stay put in Germany. Now it seems that idea might well become a reality.
According to The Athletic, Alonso and Ruben Amorim have featured in conversations as City lines up replacements for Guardiola should he decide to leave the club at the end of the season. What’s more, Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg claims Leverkusen is already preparing for Alonso’s departure, with Sebastian Hoeness and Sandro Wagner being considered as his heir.
Guardiola’s current contract at City runs until the summer, and he has been coy on whether he will extend his stay beyond that. Given he was supposedly approached for the England job before Thomas Tuchel was appointed, it does suggest the former Barcelona boss could be eyeing up his next move.
If so, from City’s perspective, who better to take over than one of Guardiola’s protégés? Mikel Arteta is already building his own fortress at Arsenal, so Alonso could be the next port of call. The timings, it seems, definitely add up.
If the 42-year-old continues his success at Leverkusen this season, having won the double and gone unbeaten aside from the Europa League final in the last campaign, he will surely have more clubs falling over themselves to secure his services. He’s already shown that the draw of him returning to one of his former clubs isn’t a deciding factor, so joining a rival can’t be ruled out.
Of course, it’s all conjecture at this moment in time. It’s possible that Guardiola’s plans could change, and Alonso has already sprung something of a surprise by turning down Liverpool and Bayern’s advances. There’s always those 115 elephants lurking in the room as well for City.
But if Guardiola is to move on, it does seem as though Alonso will be near the top of the list to take over, if not first-choice. I’m not sure how my heart would take seeing him in the opposition dugout at Anfield every season, with that outcome considerably worse than seeing him at Real Madrid.
