Liverpool ‘excite Alonso most’; ‘top’ target to replace Slot snubs Man Utd, City for five reasons – report

According to reports, Xabi Alonso is ‘excited the most’ about the possibility of managing Liverpool after departing Spanish giants Real Madrid .

Alonso is out of work as he parted Real Madrid at the start of this week. His exit followed Sunday’s 3-2 loss to FC Barcelona in the Spanish Cup final.

The Liverpool legend earned the Real Madrid job after working wonders at Bayern Leverkusen, who won the Bundesliga during his remarkable reign.

However, Alonso struggled following his move to Real Madrid as he reportedly lost control of the dressing room, while they have trailed Barcelona for most of this campaign.

This made Alonso’s position untenable, but it is widely accepted that Real Madrid are an incredibly difficult club to manage, so his reputation largely remains intact.

Therefore, Alonso is likely to fall on his feet and land a top job in the coming months, especially as he is heavily linked with potential moves to several Premier League clubs.

Liverpool are among those linked with Alonso after they previously missed out on the Spaniard, as current boss Arne Slot remains under pressure.

Under Slot, Liverpool have somewhat stabilised to boost their hopes of Champions League qualification, but the Dutchman has received criticism over his uninspiring style of play.

Man Utd and Man City are also linked with Alonso, but a new report from Spanish outlet Fichajes claims Alonso is ‘seduced the most’ by Liverpool and he ‘wants to manage’ the Reds next.

This is said to be because the Man City vacancy is up in the air as it’s unclear what Pep Guardiola is planning beyond this season, while Man Utd is a ‘chaotic project’.

However, Liverpool, who have him as a ‘top candidate’ to replace Slot, have three factors in their favour.

The report explains:

‘Beyond the emotional component, the sporting project perfectly aligns with their philosophy. Liverpool boasts a core of young, dynamic, and technically gifted players, many with profiles similar to those Xabi Alonso developed at Leverkusen. These are footballers capable of dominating the midfield, pressing high, and adapting to flexible systems. ‘Furthermore, the Anfield club offers a clear structure, a defined sporting direction, and an environment that protects the manager when results are not immediate. This stability is key for a coach who firmly believes in medium-term processes.’

Former Liverpool player Jermaine Pennant has explained why “would love” to have Alonso in charge at Anfield and has issues a warning to Slot.

“I would love to see him in that Liverpool dugout,” Pennant told talkSPORT.

“When I played with him he was just a magician, the IQ of the game, the way he reads the game.

“I’m sure he can bring that as well as a manager and we saw that at Leverkusen.

“The tune he got out of those two [Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong] was quite amazing. And I’m sure Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong are now having little cheeky messages to one another – ‘Oh look, Alonso has been sacked…’

“I think Liverpool were interested in him when he was at Leverkusen, but he chose to go to Real Madrid .

“I think this puts a little bit more added pressure on Arne Slot. Because I’m sure the board will be looking at this going, ‘OK, our man is now available, who’s probably our first choice.’

“And now if things don’t improve… this is just my personal opinion.

“I think that he’s [Slot] has got a problem until the end the season to either turn this season around or to show the board why next season will be better.”