Xabi Alonso’s appointment would certainly ruffle a few feathers.
A lot has been said about Arne Slot’s job in recent weeks, with eight losses in their last 11 games leaving the Reds in a tricky predicament.
Although the Dutchman’s job is safe for now, the fact that a few names are already being thrown around will not exactly be what he wants to hear, with Real Madrid’s Alonso one of the most prominent so far.
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He was linked before taking the job in the Spanish capital, and if he is fired for whatever reason, he will certainly be high on Liverpool’s list again.
His appointment would certainly have a big impact on many of their current stars, some for the better, but some for the worse. Here are the winners and losers if Alonso were to be the next Liverpool manager.
The winners
Jeremie Frimpong of Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Florian Wirtz of Bayer 04 Leverkusen and head coach Xabi Alonso of Bayer 04 Leverkusen shaking hands and celebrating their sides win during the DFB Cup: Semifina
Photo by Joris Verwijst/BSR Agency/Getty Images
The two most obvious winners of his appointment would be Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong, with the Spaniard coaching both of them at Bayer Leverkusen.
Both have struggled to adapt to the Premier League so far, but with a familiar face and tactics, they might just be able to find their spark again.
Wirtz will need him more than most as their connection is truly special, and Liverpool fans will be keen to see the best of him soon after being left very underwhelmed thus far.
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As well as Frimpong benefiting due to knowing Alonso, he, as well as Milos Kerkez, would be helped out by the system he likes to play.
Alonso often plays a three-at-the-back formation with wing-backs, allowing his wide players to bomb up and down the wing.
This suits both of their games perfectly as they can flex their attacking muscles and show exactly why they were signed, another reason why he would be a good appointment.
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The final two winners would be Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak as Alonso is not afraid to play a two up top.
He has done this already at Real Madrid, meaning both of Liverpool’s new strikers could form a formidable partnership and finally get regular minutes alongside one another.
The losers
Although there will not be too many losers if Alonso came in, the main two could be Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah.
With the Spaniard preferring to play with wing-backs, this would make their job redundant, so they will either have to brush up on defensive skills or move more central if they are to get any minutes.
But with Ekitike and Isak the best striker options, either of these two starting up front regularly seems near-impossible, suggesting their Reds career could be over if he were to join.
Alonso is also not afraid to make big decisions, as he has shown with Vinicius Jr this season, so if he feels Salah is over the hill, then he will not worry about leaving him out or even moving him on entirely.
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