by Xabi Alonso is unlikely to be on Liverpool’s shortlist to replace Jurgen Klopp as the Merseyside club do not believe he will be available this summer.
Alonso has long been tipped to be the front-runner to replace Klopp since the shock German announced his retirement from Anfield at the end of the season. But the club are pushing ahead as they consider other candidates after it emerged that Alonso plans to stay at Leverkusen.
That means Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim and Brighton and Hove Albion’s Roberto De Zerbi are now the remaining candidates for the upcoming Anfield vacancy as Liverpool look to narrow down the competition in the coming weeks.
De Zerbi will get his chance to impress on Sunday when his Brighton side face Klopp’s in the Premier League at Anfield. Amorim, meanwhile, has been hailed by many as ending Sporting’s 19-year wait to become Portuguese champions and winning three domestic cup competitions as a brilliant start to his coaching career.
The prospect of Alonso, a former player and Champions League winner, returning to Anfield to add to Klopp’s work has appealed to romantics who recall the elegant Spaniard pulling the strings in Liverpool’s midfield between 2004 and 2009.
Klopp appeared to be on board with that idea, hinting that Alonso was ‘the anointed one’ when praising the Leverkusen coach last month.
“The next generation is already there and I would say Xabi is the standout in that department,” Klopp said. “A former first-class player, of course also coaching a family, which helps a bit. He was already like a coach when he was playing.
“The football he’s playing, the teams he’s set up, the transfers he’s made – he’s been truly exceptional. Of course, when you look through the Europa League, Leverkusen is one of the favorites there as well and this could be the season for Leverkusen. Really crazy.”
Liverpool gathering information about prospective managers
From Liverpool’s perspective, the 42-year-old faced external pressure immediately after Klopp announced his departure.
Since Klopp’s statement, Liverpool have appointed a new sporting director, Richard Hughes, who will take over in June, and Fenway Sports Group reunited with former sporting director Michael Edwards, who is the chief executive of American football owners.
They will have their own ideas for a successor, and the club’s data analysts, led by Will Spearman, are already compiling dossiers on those best suited for the job.
Alonso was under strong consideration along with others, and would naturally have a strong demand for the job if he felt the time was right to move to England.
His lack of availability is definitely a blow, especially to the supporters who made him their No. 1 pick.
Bayern: ‘It will be difficult to sign Alonso’
Liverpool are not the only club hoping Alonso will stay at Leverkusen. Bayern Munich honorary president Uli Hoeness said his club had effectively given up trying to convince him to move to the Allianz Arena.
“I feel it will be very difficult to sign Xabi Alonso, not to say impossible,” he said. “I can definitely imagine that he will stay at Bayer Leverkusen to continue his job.
“[Alonso] they are more inclined to stay at Bayer Leverkusen given their current achievements, as he would not want to leave them behind. I would say if he had another two or three years of success, it would probably be easier to get him out of there.”
Alonso himself remained tight-lipped despite the fact that he is strongly associated with the two great positions. There are also suggestions that Real Madrid, another of Alonso’s former clubs, could see him as the natural heir to Carlo Ancelotti when the legendary Italian moves on.
Alonso is a keen player and is clearly just as conscientious about how he will shape his coaching career.
He was patient in his first steps in management, turning down several offers from big European clubs while learning his trade as a ‘B’ coach with Real Sociedad.
Despite the incredible success at Leverkusen, where his side remain unbeaten in all competitions this season and on the verge of winning the Bundesliga title, he seems determined to work on his own timeline rather than jump into one of the biggest clubs in the world at the first opportunity.
As Liverpool consider other options, the only guarantee is that Klopp’s replacement will have to play in the same aggressive manner that has graced Anfield since 2019.
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