Being FSG: Liverpool agree Xabi Alonso return as the odds catch up with Arne Slot

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Empire of the Kop

·24 marzo 2026

Being FSG: Liverpool agree Xabi Alonso return as the odds catch up with Arne Slot

Xabi Alonso is currently the most likely option to replace Arne Slot as Liverpool manager should the Dutchman be sacked this summer.

The former Real Madrid boss is currently taking a break from management following his dismissal at the Bernabeu.

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However, the odds currently place the ex-Red as the top candidate to step into the Anfield dugout ahead of the likes of Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique.

Xabi Alonso wants to return to coaching amid Liverpool interest

If one report from Graeme Bailey at TEAMtalk is to be taken as gospel, it would appear that Alonso is planning to return to management for the 2026/27 season.

That would surely put the Spaniard front and centre in the minds of Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards, should Liverpool take drastic action with Slot’s future.

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The Dutchman’s potential successor is reportedly considered a ‘top option’, with the former facing increasing scrutiny amid Liverpool’s dire domestic form.

Perhaps the most worrying detail as far as Arne Slot is concerned should be historic reports suggesting that Xabi Alonso was Michael Edwards’ preferred option before our incumbent boss took the role.

Whilst there has been some dispute over that claim, it’s clear that Liverpool do at least strongly admire their former midfielder.

Arne Slot is quickly running out of time at Anfield

Yet another defeat to Brighton at the weekend saw Liverpool pick up their 10th defeat of the campaign – a rather unwanted record for a side that should have mounted a more serious Premier League title defence.

Things don’t seem likely to improve in a hurry, with the club picking up 10 points from a possible 18 in their last six league outings. Hardly the form of a serious top four outfit.

As such, it’s no surprise that Xabi Alonso’s odds of taking over from Arne Slot as Liverpool’s permanent manager remain tantalisingly high, according to Oddschecker.

* Next permanent Liverpool manager odds (Oddschecker)

We still very much want the Dutchman to succeed at L4, but patience is now at an all-time low.

We have to secure Champions League football by any means necessary. But we’re struggling to see a world in which Slot holds on to his job without lifting the Champions League trophy or showcasing a significant upturn in performance levels in the Premier League.

And neither scenario feels particularly likely at this stage. To be completely honest, it feels like the odds are about to catch up with our Premier League-winning boss.