FSG take Xabi Alonso decision as pressure mounts on Arne Slot | OneFootball

It has been suggested that Liverpool might be prepared to make a change in the dugout this summer.

Arne Slot was signed from Feyenoord back in 2024 - initially signing a three-year contract. Right now the 47-year-old has got a year left to run.

As a Premier League title-winning head coach in his first season in charge it is perhaps a little surprising that the Dutchman has never signed an extension at Anfield.

That alone may give Richard Hughes and FSG a little wiggle room in case they decide to dispense with Slot’s services.

It’s believed that it would cost around £10m to sack Slot and unless a new deal is inked there is a risk that the tactician departs before his terms are due to expire.

Xabi Alonso named as favourite to succeed Slot

Into his place would come Xabi Alonso - in the eyes of many.

The stars have aligned for the former Liverpool midfielder to return to the club in many ways. He was appointed Real Madrid’s new head coach last summer but only lasted until January amid a fallout with star players including Vinicius Junior.

Now back on the market the 44-year-old would ostensibly be a perfect fit for Liverpool - who are thought to have pursued his signature while in charge of Leverkusen.

The idea of appointing Alonso would be very attractive because he doesn’t have a release clause attached.

He would be moving as a free agent and therefore the Merseysiders would do well to get ahead of the package and present an offer for the FIFA World Cup winner.

FSG are backing away from Alonso

But a handbrake has been put on the deal by trusted Liverpool insider Paul Joyce in the Times. The reporter claims that Alonso is NOT currently on the agenda in the corridors of power at Anfield.

“They would, of course, have studied Xabi Alonso during his time at Bayer Leverkusen, and he knows the club having spent five years on Merseyside as a player,” the report reads.

“The external expectation is that the Spaniard, who is out of work after his sacking by Real Madrid in January, would be next in line for the managerial role, but there is little to suggest that aligns with internal thinking.”

LFC don't want a back three

Among the reasons given for backing away from Alonso is the coach’s preference for a back three - which he utilised to great effect with Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong at Leverkusen.

“Alonso favours a back three, for example, which is one of the reasons why Liverpool did not pursue Ruben Amorim when pressing ahead with Klopp’s successor,” the report reads.

Right now it would appear that Liverpool have got no plans to move on from Arne Slot’s preferred back-four system - and that may bode well for the current head coach’s prospects of staying in the job a bit longer.