Opinion: Xabi Alonso to Liverpool feels increasingly inevitable | OneFootball

Is Alonso Now Planning for His Anfield Return?

When Liverpool were dragged through one of the most disjointed spells in recent memory, large sections of the fanbase turned their frustration towards Arne Slot. Despite delivering a Premier League title in 2025, there is no escaping the reality that much of this season has felt chaotic, uncertain, and strangely joyless. Even during the recent unbeaten run, the football has often relied on congesting central zones to compensate for structural fragility elsewhere, a solution that has brought short-term stability at the cost of attacking fluency.

What once defined Liverpool — energy, speed, risk, and belief — has steadily eroded. The chaos that powered the Jürgen Klopp era, and which Arne Slot initially refined with greater control in his first season, now feels diluted. Systems have replaced instinct, caution has replaced authority, and the attacking third has suffered most. For me, that original spark cannot be reconstructed. Once it goes, it goes.

And that is why the conversation has quietly shifted away from survival, and toward succession.

What Is a Likely Scenario at the End of This Season?

With Xabi Alonso now removed from his post at Real Madrid despite a strong win record, and amid clear tensions over personnel authority, the pieces feel as though they are falling into place. I struggle to see a future where he does not return to Merseyside this summer. Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes will be acutely aware of the opportunity in front of them: a young, elite coach with emotional ties to the club, tactical clarity, and existing relationships with Liverpool’s most important summer signing.

Reuniting Alonso with Florian Wirtz (and Jeremie Frimpong) feels less like fantasy and more like inevitability. Every decision between now and May appears shaped by what comes next, not by what might temporarily rescue the present. To justify continuity under the current regime, Liverpool would likely need something extraordinary — a deep Champions League run paired with a credible league finish, perhaps within touching distance of the eventual champions. That outcome feels remote.

Instead, the hierarchy seems content to allow this season to run its course. No interim circus. No public drama. Just a controlled glide path toward change. If qualification for next season’s Champions League is secured, that may be deemed sufficient. A quiet handshake, a dignified departure, and a fresh start. It all makes sense to me.

Plans Being Made Between Now and May

This winter window tells its own story, frustrating though it may become for many. I do not expect senior signings that exist solely to prop up the current system. Any recruitment now will need to fit what comes next — and what comes next looks increasingly like a 3-4-2-1. Marc Guehi is a good fit, though he may not be fancied by new leadership.

Wing-backs, fluid attacking lines, and a structured defensive base suit much of this squad far better than the rigid framework currently in place. It also explains the reluctance to sign stopgap defenders who could quickly become misfits, focusing rather on young a promising defensive pieces, something Slot has never truly been drawn to. Slot is a stubborn operator with firm preferences, and forcing incompatible signings through would only underline that his time is limited.

Instead, Edwards and Hughes will be dissecting the squad with Alonso in mind. Summer recruitment will be decisive, cohesive, and purposeful. The aim will be immediate regeneration, not gradual repair. Conversations will take place and targets will be quietly spoken to.

Of course, this could all be wrong. Football rarely follows clean narratives, let alone the ants of a bemused sports writer. But the signs are there for all to see. Alonso returning to rebuild his reputation, to settle unfinished business, and to lead Liverpool into a new era feels aligned, logical, and powerful.

Champions League qualification remains essential. Progress in Europe would be a fitting farewell. Beyond that, I expect a mutual parting of ways — respectful, necessary, and inevitable.

And with it, the beginning of something new and exciting