Report: What ‘sources close to’ Xabi Alonso have now indicated about prospective coaching return

A fresh report has indicated that Xabi Alonso is ‘ready’ to get back into management, amid ongoing speculation over potentially replacing Arne Slot at Liverpool.

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With the incumbent head coach coming under increasing scrutiny as the Reds lurch from one bad result to another, our former midfielder continues to be touted as a likely successor, and The Athletic’s Adam Crafton has claimed that the Spaniard would ‘probably’ take the Anfield job if he were to be offered it.

The 44-year-old has been out of work since being dismissed by Real Madrid in mid-January, although it’d seem that he’s eager to soon end his managerial exile.

Alonso ‘ready’ to get back into management

According to Graeme Bailey for TEAMtalk on Tuesday, ‘sources close to’ Alonso have indicated that he’s ‘ready’ to get back into a coaching role, and it’s claimed that the ex-Liverpool player ‘remains firmly in pole position’ to replace Slot if FSG were to make a change in the coming weeks or months.

The position of the Reds’ current head coach is said to be ‘under serious scrutiny’ from Anfield chiefs, who are seemingly prepared to hold fire on deciding the Dutchman’s future until the end of this season.

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Will Alonso be named as Liverpool’s next manager?

If Liverpool were to dismiss Slot in the next few weeks, Alonso would surely be among the standout candidates to replace him, unless another club or national team were to appoint him in the meantime.

His distinguished playing career at Anfield makes him a terrace favourite, and the manner in which he guided Bayer Leverkusen to an unbeaten German double two seasons ago shows that the clamour for him to get the job isn’t merely fuelled by ‘past playing hero’ sentiment.

Timing could be a major factor in whether or not the 44-year-old is named as the Reds’ next manager/head coach. If – as seems likely – FSG were to stick with the incumbent for the rest of this season and Alonso gets another job in the meantime, there’s a risk that they could miss the boat on him.

However, if Slot is sacked at the end of the season and the Spaniard remains available, that’d surely be the perfect opportunity to pounce, and it’s entirely plausible that conversations to that effect may already have been initiated in private.

The 2010 World Cup winner seemed the sure-fire bet to replace Jurgen Klopp at Anfield two years ago, but the Dutchman was appointed instead. Might that merely have been delaying the inevitable? We could get our answer in the not-too-distant future.

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