Liverpool supporters were given a new reason to be angry on Friday as Marc Guehi moved to the verge of joining Manchester City.
Guehi had been expected to sit tight at Crystal Palace for the rest of the season before leaving on a free transfer this summer.
Having come so close to signing him last year, Liverpool fans had good reason to believe that the 25-year-old was heading to Anfield. However, City had other ideas, moving quickly to tie up an impressive-looking ÂŁ20m deal.
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Marc Guehi pictured at the Emirates Stadium ahead of Crystal Palace's Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal
Credit: Molly Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images
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Reds supporters have been left flummoxed by their club’s reluctance to pay a very manageable January fee for Guehi at a time when they are clearly desperate for defensive reinforcements.
Liverpool do not look likely to sign anybody at all this month, despite obvious gaps at both centre-back and right-back. But while some are seeing this as sporting negligence from the Reds, it may ultimately boil down to the fact that they do not expect Arne Slot to be in charge next season.
Liverpool could be unwilling to back Arne Slot further
Slot’s long-term future has been in real doubt for months now, and although he will likely see out the rest of the season at Anfield, it feels very possible that he will be replaced ahead of 2026/27.
Xabi Alonso may well have been Liverpool’s first-choice to replace Jurgen Klopp in 2024, and with the Spaniard now available, maybe Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards have made a decision already.
Marc Guehi pictured in action during Crystal Palace's Premier League match against Aston Villa at Selhurst Park.
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
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Alonso and Slot are different coaches with different styles of play, and it could well be that while a player such as Guehi may be the right addition for Slot, he would not be for Alonso.
Instead of signing players this month to aid Liverpool’s push for a top-four spot under the current coach, perhaps the Reds’ recruitment team are knocking up targets for the next manager, and prefer to wait until the summer to move on them.
Clearly, Slot does not have enough options at his disposal right now, and it makes very little sense for Liverpool to sit on their hands and do nothing this winter. The only acceptable explanation is that a big change is coming in six months’ time and there needs to be a clean break in terms of squad planning.
Will Xabi Alonso be Liverpool manager by the start of the 2026/27 season?
If no, where will he be instead?
Xabi Alonso pictured during Real Madrid's La Liga match against Real Betis at the Bernabeu (Credit: Getty Images/Alberto Gardin/NurPhoto).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Alberto Gardin/NurPhoto
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Liverpool may be waiting for Xabi Alonso
Liverpool sacking Slot this summer would be a popular move amongst supporters who have become somewhat disillusioned with life under the Dutchman.
Alonso would be the most obvious choice as a successor, but one of the main concerns over the 44-year-old would be that he has favoured a three-at-the-back system for much of his managerial career.
Given Guehi has played in a similar set-up at Palace, that would perhaps suggest that he would have been an ideal addition to Alonso’s Liverpool.
Nevertheless, Alonso showed tactical versatility at Real Madrid, and it is likely that he would do the same with the players at hand if he took over at Anfield.
The World Cup winner got the best out of Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong at Bayer Leverkusen, and would be expected to do so again, but he may have his own ideas over who he would like to add to the Liverpool squad. Essentially, there is no point in signing a player for one coach, only to see him unfavoured by another. It makes total sense to wait, and that could be what Liverpool are doing.
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