Xabi Alonso is 'turning heads' internally at Liverpool after 'phenomenal' job

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·19 November 2023

Xabi Alonso is 'turning heads' internally at Liverpool after 'phenomenal' job

Xabi Alonso's success as the manager of Bayer Leverkusen has put him on the radar of top clubs like Real Madrid and Liverpool.
If Alonso continues his impressive managerial career, he could potentially replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool in the future.
However, Alonso may not want to wait too long for the Liverpool job, which could force Liverpool into making a difficult decision.

Liverpool's existing connection to former star Xabi Alonso could hold them in good stead, should they wish to appoint the current Bayer Leverkusen manager in the future, journalist Ben Jacobs has revealed to GIVEMESPORT.

Alonso is the new hottest prospect on the managerial scene, having worked wonders with Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen since joining a little over a year ago. The German side were in the midst of a relegation battle in the league, with Alonso ushering in an era of change, while also guiding the North Rhine-Westphalia outfit to the Europa League semi-final.

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This season, he's picked up where he left off, with Bayer Leverkusen cruising at the top of the Bundesliga table, with a Meisterschale now in their sights.

Alonso now has Bundesliga dreams with B04

The fact Bayer Leverkusen are even in the position they are after 11 games of the season speaks wonders to the work Alonso is doing at the West German outfit. In fact, the only time they've dropped points all season came away to Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena, when Exequiel Palacios came off the bench to snatch a 94th-minute equaliser for the visitors.

Ironically, the last time anyone but Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga title, Alonso was still a player, plying his trade for La Liga giant Real Madrid. The Spanish midfielder would eventually spend three seasons at the Bavarian club, where he helped contribute to three of their 11 consecutive German title wins.

Now in the manager's seat, Alonso is hoping to end Bayern Munich's reign by winning an unlikely title for Bayer Leverkusen in the process.

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Spanish coach high up on managerial wishlists

The bad news out of all of this for Bayer Leverkusen is that due to his short-term success, clubs across the continent are starting to monitor Alonso's progress, with the view to appointing him as their own gaffer in the near future. That's the case at his former employers in Madrid, as they are reportedly lining him up as a potential Carlo Ancelotti replacement.

Reports from Germany suggest that Real Madrid have Alonso on their shortlist of options, should Ancelotti leave at the end of the season as expected. But should he resist the move to Los Blancos, there is a suggestion he could one day end up in the dugout at Anfield.

Ben Jacobs update - Xabi Alonso

When speaking to GIVEMESPORT about the astronomical rise of Alonso as a manager, journalist Jacobs admitted that he would fit the bill as a future Liverpool boss. Adored by the Kop, in no small part because of his contributions to the 2004/05 Champions League win, Alonso could represent the perfect replacement for incumbent boss Jurgen Klopp:

“My understanding is that Alonso is obviously focused on Bayer Leverkusen and not getting ahead of himself, they’re top of the Bundesliga at the time of recording. He's done absolutely phenomenally at that football club, so everyone else is talking about Alonso's future, but Alonso himself is only focused at the moment on Leverkusen and rightly so, because to get a top manager job, you don't put yourself in the shop window after 11 league games, you put yourself in the shop window at the end of a season or seasons when you've won silverware.“But there's no doubt that Alonso is turning heads at the moment and that includes with two of his former clubs, Liverpool, and Real Madrid. I think less so Bayern Munich at this stage, because Thomas Tuchel is starting to settle, but obviously, if a vacancy ever opens there, then we know that Alonso will be linked with it as well. But the Liverpool possibility is maybe the most interesting.”

Clock ticking on Klopp contract at Anfield

The question Alonso would need to ask himself though is, how long will he have to wait to take over from Klopp as manager?

Well, if the German coach sticks around until the expiration of his current contract, a vacancy at Anfield would open up at the end of the 2025/26 campaign - just over two seasons from now.

That could prove too far in the future to tempt Alonso to stick around in Leverkusen for, such has been his astronomical rise since taking over B04 last year. If Alonso and Liverpool's paths are to cross, it might take Klopp walking out of Anfield during the middle of the season, to tempt Alonso to leave his ongoing project at Bayer Leverkusen.

That looks an unlikely scenario as things stand, making the Liverpool job look somewhat out of reach for Alonso right now.