3 ways Liverpool could line up under Xabi Alonso | OneFootball

With Jurgen Klopp set to leave Liverpool at the end of the 2023/24 season, those at Anfield are already trying to work out who could replace the charismatic German as manager. While plenty of names will no doubt be linked from now until the decision is finally made, the "outstanding candidate" right now appears to be Xabi Alonso.

The current Bayer Leverkusen boss has had a fantastic campaign so far and has his team looking capable of potentially winning the Bundesliga for the first time in their history – especially after that resounding 3-0 win over Bayern Munich. Add to this, the fact that he spent five years with the Reds as a player – winning the Champions League and FA Cup – it's easy to see why the Spaniard would be a popular pick to replace Klopp.

With that being the case, should Alonso arrive in England next summer, GIVEMESPORT has decided to construct his dream team – using current Liverpool players, as well as bringing some of his best Bayer Leverkusen stars over with him to the Premier League.

The stars of Bayer Leverkusen

Jonathan Tah

The Reds certainly aren't short of top quality when it comes to the central defensive positions. After all, they can pick from the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez. But the four of them have all had injury issues in the past, so Alonso may want to bolster that area of the pitch with more depth.

Having played over 300 times for Leverkusen, Jonathan Tah has been a key cog in the team for some time now. The 21-cap Germany international would bring plenty of experience to the team. What's more, he could be available on the cheap. As per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Tah is "performing at [a] top level under Xabi Alonso" and is "one to watch in the summer as [his] current contract is due to expire in June 2025".

Piero Hincapie

If Liverpool are seeking a little more depth in defence, Piero Hincapie might make more sense as a summer signing than Tah. This is because he can play at both left-back and centre-back – although he has tended to operate down the middle more often than not under Alonso.

Still only 22, the Ecuadorian caught the eye at the 2022 World Cup and regularly seems to be linked with a big move. In fact, Hincapie has been on Liverpool's radar recently too. His agent confirmed that the Reds showed interest last summer and in the January transfer window – although a touted £43m winter move didn't come to pass.

Alejandro 'Alex' Grimaldo

In Andy Robertson, the Anfield faithful has been fortunate to enjoy one of the greatest left-backs in Premier League history – and certainly the best in England right now. However, the Scot will be 30 in March and fitness issues have seen Klopp have to call upon Joe Gomez in his place at times this season.

With that being the case, Alex Grimaldo could be a fine option to either come in and provide depth and competition for the role – with doubts over Kotsas Tsimikas' overall quality relevant too. The wingback has been a hit in Germany so far, scoring a ridiculous 10 goals and claiming 11 assists after arriving from Benfica in the summer – that's more than Diogo Jota, Cody Gakpo, and Luis Diaz.

Jeremie Frimpong

Right-back is often a top of discussion at Liverpool. There is no doubting Trent Alexander Arnold's ability on the ball, but could the Reds get more out of him if he was asked to play in midfield? Alonso could arrive in England and feel this is the best option, which might tempt him into the market to find an alternative option for the spot.

He would surely then consider a move for Jeremie Frimpong. Manchester United have long been linked with the attacking wingback, and it's not hard to see why. Like Grimaldo, the Leverkusen star likes to get forward at every opportunity and has bagged eight goals and 10 assists already this season. Seeing as Alonso often likes to play with wingbacks in his 3-4-2-1 setup, the signing would make a lot of sense if he wanted to move away from Klopp's 4-3-3.

Exequiel Palacios

Liverpool attempted to rebuild their midfield last summer but with Thiago's ongoing injury issues, that area of the field may need more work once Klopp departs. Exequiel Palacios has already been linked with the Reds in the past and his connections to Alonso make this move a no-brainer.

Described as a "touch-tight tackler" and a "defensive genius" in The Athletic, it's not hard to imagine what skills he could bring to Anfield. Wataru Endo was signed as a stop-gap but Palacios could be the dream long-term defensive midfield option for Liverpool.

Florian Wirtz

Florian Wirtz is arguably the most exciting young talent in German football right now. Of all the U21 players in European Leagues, no youngster has created more big chances this season than his 10 (as of 05/02/24).

With that being the case, it's hard not to believe that every major club in the world has some interest in the 20-year-old. Amid Liverpool links, however, he won't come cheap as he's been valued at £100.5m. Last summer, he was valued at £54m – which shows just how fantastic he's been this season.

Victor Boniface

With Roberto Firmino leading the line for many years, and the likes of Darwin Nunez, Jota and Gakpo tasked with replacing him, Klopp hasn't really ever asked his central strikers to score all the goals. Instead, he's been able to rely on Mohamed Salah. Should Alonso arrive this summer, he might not get the same luxury with the 31-year-old Egyptian now regularly linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League.

Should the Spaniard want a more traditional man up top, he might be tempted to go for Victor Boniface – who has 24 goal contributions in 23 games under Alonso. No Leverkusen star has delivered a better average WhoScored match rating this season (7.81), boosted by 16 goals and eight assists in all competitions. Still only 23, the Nigerian could be a special player for years to come.

Potential Liverpool lineups under Alonso

Here are three formation suggestions for how Alonso could line up. The first two are if the Spaniard wanted to take on and adapt Klopp's 4-3-3 set-up, while the last is if he wanted to imprint his style on the club by lining up with the 3-4-2-1 we have seen regularly used in the Bundesliga.

Of course, it's highly unlikely that all these players would be signed from Leverkusen if Alonso did more – and we're not saying he'd prefer to play Hincapie over Van Dijk, for example – it's just a selection of players he might try and bring over from Germany, and how they could be used for Liverpool.

Option 1: 4-4-3

Option 2: 4-4-3

Option 3: 3-4-2-1