‘As I understand it…’ – David Ornstein drops Xabi Alonso update as Liverpool stance outlined | OneFootball

David Ornstein has issued an update on whether Liverpool are likely to move for Xabi Alonso this summer, amid reports that the 44-year-old is wanted by Chelsea.

DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL EMPIRE OF THE KOP APP FOR ALL THE LATEST & BREAKING UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAY

Although Frank Leboeuf confidently declared over the weekend that he thinks the Spaniard will be in charge at Anfield next season, several trusted reporters (including James Pearce and Fabrizio Romano) have indicated that FSG are more likely to stick with Arne Slot than appoint the former Reds midfielder.

According to The Athletic, Chelsea are now exploring a potential deal to hire the 2010 World Cup winner, who’s believe to be open to the possibility of working at Stamford Bridge.

(Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)

Ornstein: Alonso ‘is not under consideration’ at Liverpool

Speaking on NBC Sports on Monday evening, Ornstein reiterated his freshly-published reports on Alonso, whilst stating that the former Real Madrid boss isn’t in Liverpool’s thinking at present.

He declared: “Within the last hour, I have reported that Chelsea are exploring a deal to appoint Xabi Alonso as their next head coach.

“It was suggested by many that he would be a strong contender, and he would appear to be at the forefront. As I understand it, Xabi Alonso is open to this possibility, although nothing at this point has been decided, and the process at Chelsea is ongoing.

“Talking of Xabi Alonso, he has for some time now – years – been heavily linked with the Liverpool head coach position post-Jurgen Klopp, but it went to Arne Slot.

“Even now, with many fans clamouring for him to return to Anfield where he had such a successful playing career, but my information is that Xabi Alonso is not under consideration at Liverpool at all, and that Liverpool fully intend to go into next season with Arne Slot as their head coach.”

Want more Empire of the Kop coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust

Liverpool fans’ worst fears over Alonso may now be coming true

This is precisely what many Reds supporters would’ve feared if FSG delayed over moving for Alonso – that another club (in this case a direct Premier League rival) would be more proactive and bring him in instead.

Of course, Chelsea’s pursuit is merely in the exploratory stages for now, so there’s no guarantee that the 44-year-old will be on the Stamford Bridge bench next season, but at the moment that seems a much likelier scenario than him returning to Anfield.

We don’t want Liverpool to go down the same road as the Blues in terms of churning through head coaches with indecent haste, but the thought of Alonso taking charge of the west Londoners while Slot is still labouring on Merseyside is sobering.

If FSG are adamant that they want to persist with the Dutchman, they desperately need that faith to be vindicated quickly. The Reds still need to ensure they’re in the Champions League for 2026/27, and a slow start to that campaign would make the 47-year-old’s job feel increasingly untenable.

Fate might offer the Anfield hierarchy a second chance on Alonso if Chelsea’s pursuit of him were to fail. If that were to happen, the powerbrokers in L4 surely can’t pass it up again.