Xabi Alonso appears destined to be the next Liverpool manager as supporters begin to lose patience with Arne Slot.
Slot still has some credit in the bank having led the Reds to a surprise Premier League title in May. But with fans beginning to boo his team, the writing looks like it is already on the wall.
If the Dutchman is fired, a replacement is unlikely to arrive before the end of the season, with up to date reports suggesting that Alonso wants to take the rest of the campaign off before finding a new job over the summer.
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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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On paper, that timeline would also suit Liverpool, and while his appointment is certainly not guaranteed, it does feel more likely than ever.
As they dream about a return for their former midfield maestro, some Liverpool fans have also been hoping that Alonso may decide to team up with Steven Gerrard as a potential assistant manager. But while it would be fantastic to see the two in tandem once again, a return to Anfield for Thiago Alcantara feels much more likely.
Thiago Alcantara should be a candidate for Liverpool role
Clearly, there is a world in which Liverpool do not sack Slot in 2026 and Alonso moves elsewhere. But if things go the way supporters hope they will, Thiago would be a smart addition as the Spaniard’s number two.
The pair are former teammates with Bayern Munich and Spain, and Alonso even urged Thiago to join Liverpool back in 2020.
Xabi Alonso celebrates with Thiago Alcantara after scoring for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga against RB Leipzig.
Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images
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But more than their shared history and previous links with Liverpool, Alonso will likely recognise that Thiago is a promising young coach already making waves within the game.
The 34-year-old joined Hansi Flick’s coaching staff at Barcelona in 2025 and in a similar way to Alonso, he had an incredible coaching education under some of the best managers around during his playing days.
That is no guarantee of success as a coach, of course, but if Alonso is to make the move to Anfield later this year, all the ingredients are there to make Thiago the right fit to join him.
Surely Arne Slot is living on borrowed time, when will Liverpool pull the trigger?
No wins against newly-promoted Premier League sides for the first time ever…
Arne Slot reacts during Liverpool's Premier League match against Burnley at Anfield (Credit: Getty Images/Oli Scarf/AFP)
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Oli Scarf/AFP
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Thiago has unfinished business at Liverpool
Returning to Liverpool would surely be appealing from Thiago’s point of view as well as Alonso’s.
The former Barcelona star developed a real affinity with the Reds during the final four years of his career, and although he did win trophies at Anfield, there was always a sense that things did not quite pan out in the way he had planned.
Injuries meant he could not always get on the pitch, and in returning as a coach he could put to bed some of the ghosts of those frustrating times.
Of course, there would be a chance of Alonso staying loyal to his assistant, Sebastian Parilla, who went with him from Bayer Leverkusen to Real Madrid. But if he wants to start afresh, who better than Thiago?
For now, this is pure speculation, but if Liverpool supporters could see two of the most talented midfielders to ever play for the club on the touchline together next season, it would go a long way to righting the wrongs of the current mess.
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