Liverpool and Bayern Munich look set to battle it out for former player Xabi Alonso amid reports the Spaniard is concerned about following on from Jürgen Klopp.
As his Bayer Leverkusen side continues to take the Bundesliga by storm, Xabi Alonso has found himself as the world’s most-wanted manager. The Spaniard only took charge of Leverkusen last season — his first senior management role — but has guided the club from being potential relegation candidates to overwhelming title favorites.
Sunday’s 2-0 win over FC Köln put unbeaten Leverkusen 10 points clear at the top of the table and on course to end Bayern Munich’s domination of German football. And should Alonso’s side finish the job off, it will be the first team to pip Bayern to the title since Jürgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund in 2012.
It is therefore no surprise that Alonso is a man in demand. He was quickly installed as the favorite to take over from Klopp when he announced his plans to leave at the end of the season. The Liverpool boss even appeared to endorse the ex-midfielder but it was never going to be straightforward for the Reds to get him.
His work in Germany has unsurprisingly made Bayern sit up and take note and Alonso is also on its wishlist, after deciding to part ways with Thomas Tuchel this summer. The 42-year-old ended his playing career with Bayern and has spoken previously about the impact the club had on his move into coaching.
There have also been long-standing links to another former club, Real Madrid, amid uncertainty over the long-term future of Carlo Ancelotti. It does appear for now though that it will be a straight shootout between Liverpool and Bayern, although it has not been ruled out that he will remain in Leverkusen.
With Liverpool yet to appoint a new sporting director, who will be involved in appointing Klopp’s successor, Bayern has reportedly made a key move. According to Sky Germany, the Bundesliga champion has now opened discussions with Alonso about taking over this summer.
And it is suggested that Bayern is ‘optimistic’ about appointing its former midfielder, who supposedly has concerns about filling Klopp’s shoes at Anfield. The German has been one of Liverpool’s most successful managers of all time and could end his final campaign with an unprecedented quadruple.
But the reality is that the apparent risk of replacing the 56-year-old should be outweighed by the potential reward on offer, should Alonso take over. This is a Liverpool side at the peak of its powers, with a group of players who could ultimately get even better.
Yes, decisions will need to be made about the long-term futures of Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, who are both out of contract in 2025, but there is a group beyond those two that could form Liverpool’s spine for the next 10 years.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is still only 25, while the likes of Alexis Mac Allister, Ibrahima Konaté, Dominik Szoboszlai and Darwin Núñez are even younger. Harvey Elliott, 20, and Jarrell Quansah, 21, have become key first-team figures too, and beyond that, there has been a raft of youngsters to make an impact this season.
They have all proven they are ready for first-team football and will be knocking on Liverpool’s next manager’s door in the summer, whether it is Alonso or not, looking for more opportunities. And they are all exciting in their own way.
There is no doubt that replacing Klopp will be a tough task but it is not the same situation that David Moyes faced at Manchester United when taking over from Sir Alex Ferguson. While that was a title-winning United team, it needed an almighty rebuild as players came to the end of their careers and Moyes was ultimately on a hiding to nothing.
That will not be the case for Klopp’s successor who could inherit the most successful Liverpool squad of all time. If Alonso is to decide between his two former clubs, that should be a huge pull and would provide the foundations to add his own stamp to the legacy Klopp leaves behind.
