Many fans have theorised that Liverpool may be willing to axe Arne Slot in favour of former player Xabi Alonso in the summer, following his exit from Real Madrid this month.
Xabi Alonso is available after being dismissed at Real Madrid, sparking theories over replacing Arne Slot at Liverpool(Image: (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images))
Former Liverpool star Danny Murphy believes the club’s board will be aware of Xabi Alonso’s situation, but believes they won’t make drastic moves to replace Arne Slot anytime soon. It comes as the ex-midfielder lost his job as Real Madrid head coach, following a 3-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup.
Alonso was touted as a possible replacement to Jurgen Klopp a couple of years ago, but after he committed to staying at Bayer Leverkusen, attention quickly turned to Slot. The Dutchman delivered the Premier League title in his first season, banishing many thoughts about a missed opportunity to land a former player as head coach instead.
The Spaniard then made his move to Real Madrid, which only lasted a few months, but his exit has coincided with a tough spell for Liverpool this season.
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As a result, many fans have theorised that the club hierarchy would be willing to switch Slot for Alonso if the opportunity arises in the coming months.
Former star Murphy has given his verdict on the Spanish coach, and the possibility of him arriving at Anfield in the near future, as he said on talkSPORT: “He was a brilliant footballer, really intelligent, not the most athletic, but he had that (football intelligence).
“I know the lads there who played with him spoke highly of him; that doesn’t happen, in fact, very rarely. Very likeable. He’s started off his managerial career really well, maybe Real Madrid came too soon for him.”
On the possibility of him arriving back at Liverpool, Murphy added: “Yeah, (Liverpool board will keep a close eye on proceedings) that’s what you should be doing, keeping on top of what’s going on around you if you’re a top club, ready for a contingency if something bad happens.
“But Slot’s actually recovered from the poor spell well, they haven’t been playing brilliantly, but the injuries, problems they’ve had, to be on a 10-game unbeaten run, they’ve stabilised, he’s done alright. He (Slot) needs a good second half to the season, but I wouldn’t think there’s any drastic thoughts of the hierarchy.”
Liverpool have often been keen to give their head coaches time to get things right, and while Slot got off to a quick start last season with a title win, there has been a need for patience this campaign.
Expectations may have skyrocketed after a summer spend topping £450m, on top of a team that already won the league, but there are clear problems to be solved.
“We know that our league position makes it very hard to compete with Arsenal for the league title,” Slot admitted to Sky Sports recently.
“Our first focus now is on a top-four, top-five finish to qualify for the Champions League. And all the other things we can still play for, for the Champions League, for the FA Cup.”
Anything other than Champions League qualification could change the picture for Slot, however, which may well see the board turn their attention towards a managerial market that is expected to explode over the summer.
Alonso’s exit from Real Madrid makes him an obvious top candidate, not least with his ties to Liverpool from his playing career, but there is also proof of working well with players he had at Bayer Leverkusen.
He has, so far, been a project coach who can work through spells, something that clearly isn’t afforded to a coach at Real Madrid – who went on to lose to second-tier Albacete in the Copa Del Rey on Wednesday night in their first game since the change in the dugout.
Perhaps a move to Liverpool, who are traditionally patient with coaches, will be an attractive prospect for the 44-year-old, but that all depends on how the club view the current job being done by their manager.
