Xabi Alonso is currently considered the most likely leadership candidate. Liverpool are favorites to land him, which could highlight the reality of Moises Caicedo. Liverpool do not consider the appointment of Xabi Alonso a done deal.
The club are still closely examining various suitors, but despite the club’s heart set on him as their first choice, they know there is no guarantee they will bring him to Anfield. While Liverpool fans are still looking at someone with no connection to the club, suspicions remain that this is approaching Jude Bellingham territory.
In theory, the same result is still possible. Although one of Alonso’s former clubs, Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti recently signed a contract extension that could be attractive. Bayern Munich could be a big threat.
The nation will no doubt run out of patience with Thomas Tuchel if Alonso’s legendary triumvirate of European giants comes to an end, in which case Liverpool will struggle. Perhaps more than anything, Liverpool are concerned that Alonso will stay at Bayer Leverkusen for some time.
After all, this is his first full season and he has the prospect of a first Champions League campaign behind him with the squad he has put together. Hopefully the lure of the Liverpool job and the glory of playing for Jurgen Klopp will outweigh all the alternatives. But while there may be concerns on that front, it’s hard to imagine anyone in the corridors of power at FSG losing any sleep over the potential threat from Chelsea. The Blues were a constant headache for Liverpool last summer.
First they won the race for Moises Caicedo and then they signed Romeo Lavia. But the idea that Chelsea can compete for players or managers is now clearly moot.
Give Me Sport claim that Chelsea are not afraid to take over any manager and Alonso is a top contender if Todd Bohly decides to leave Mauricio Pochettino. His fate could be affected by the upcoming Carabao Cup final against Liverpool.
Regardless of the outcome of this game, it’s clear that the two teams have gone in completely opposite directions since last summer. Chelsea have been at a standstill since “winning the transfer market” and Caicedo has failed to lift the London club above 10th place.
They could find themselves another summer prospect at the top of the Premier League, 20 points adrift. Chelsea may not be afraid to compete with Liverpool for Alonso, but let’s be honest. Even if the Reds are not in contention, it is highly unlikely that they will move to Stamford Bridge.
Both teams entered the summer with poor seasons. This means Liverpool finished 5th and Chelsea 12th. Even then, Caicedo seems to have made a mistake, even if joining the Bohli project was not entirely incomprehensible.
But if Chelsea are foolish enough to think they can tempt Alonso, that shows Caicedo how wrong he is. There is no doubt that he would choose Liverpool without hesitation. If there is a competition for the most exciting manager in the game, it won’t come from Stamford Bridge.
