Xabi Alonso green lights management return as Liverpool plan to replace Arne Slot with ‘top option’ | OneFootball

Xabi Alonso fully expects to be back in management next season, TEAMtalk has been told, with the Spaniard already emerging as a leading candidate to be the next Liverpool manager and with the pressure on Arne Slot ramping up.

Alonso, out of work since leaving Real Madrid in January, is very much considered a top option by Liverpool should they decide to part ways with current boss Slot, who is under heavy fire after a very underwhelming campaign.

As previously revealed by TEAMtalk, Slot’s performance is under serious scrutiny from the club’s hierarchy, who will a judgement at the season’s end on whether to back or sack the Dutchman following an inconsistent campaign.

Another setback at the weekend, a defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion, saw Liverpool slump to their 10th loss of the season – the first time they have reached that unwanted mark in more than a decade.

That run of results has only intensified internal discussions over the club’s direction heading into the next campaign.

While several names have been linked with a potential move to Anfield, including Sebastian Hoeness of Stuttgart and Andoni Iraola of AFC Bournemouth, Alonso remains firmly in pole position.

Crucially, sources close to the Spaniard have confirmed to TEAMtalk that he is ready to step back into management after leaving Los Blancos earlier this season, bringing an end to a brief spell that lasted just over six months.

Florian Wirtz dynamic adds to Xabi Alonso appeal

Liverpool’s long-term planning is also playing a role in their thinking. One of the club’s key priorities is maximising the potential of Florian Wirtz, who they believe could develop into the best player in the world.

In that regard, there are few better-placed candidates than Alonso, who previously worked with Wirtz during their highly successful time together at Bayer Leverkusen.

Interestingly, respected X reporter, Bayern Space, said on Sunday that Xabi Alonso’s long-time assistant, Sebastian Parrilla, recently reached out to Liverpool stars Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong, with the latter being another player who played under Alonso at Leverkusen.

Parilla is said to have asked “highly specific and unusually concrete questions about life in Liverpool, the internal dressing room dynamic, the atmosphere around the club on and off the pitch, and even which structural or sporting aspects would require adjustment.”

Wirtz is also “increasingly indicating that his preferred outcome would be Xabi Alonso taking over at Liverpool”, per the report, adding another dynamic to the saga.

With uncertainty surrounding Slot’s future and Alonso ready to return, the coming months are shaping up to be pivotal for Liverpool as they weigh up a possible change in the dugout ahead of next season.

Latest Liverpool news: Michael Edwards twist / Chelsea star on radar

Meanwhile, uncertainty also surrounds the future of Liverpool CEO of football Michael Edwards, who has been tipped to beat Slot out of the Anfield exit door.

A reporter has claimed it would be a “surprise” for club owners, FSG, to keep Edwards around much longer, and gives detailed reasons as to why he could be on his way out.

The Reds are said to be ‘monitoring’ Acheampong’s situation ‘closely’ amid fears Ibrahima Konate could leave, despite the fact Jeremy Jacquet will arrive from Rennes next season.