EXCLUSIVE: Sky Sports pundit Alan Smith on where Liverpool goes next under Arne Slot, with Xabi Alonso available and the rumor mill likely to continue to link him with Anfield
07:00, 22 Jan 2026
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot celebrates his side's win in Marseille.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot celebrates his side's win in Marseille.(Image: Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Former Premier League striker and Sky Sports pundit Alan Smith says rumors about Xabi Alonso taking over from Arne Slot are unlikely to go anywhere any time soon.
Fired by Real Madrid earlier this month, Alonso's stock is still high after he won the Bundesliga title with his former club, Bayer Leverkusen. There, he helped develop Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong and established himself as one of the top up-and-coming coaches on the continent.
But even though Liverpool has improved of late — putting in arguably its best performance of the season so far to beat Marseille in the Champions League on Wednesday — the talk around Alonso looks set to remain.
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"He’s hovering, isn’t he? A Liverpool legend like that out of work," Sky Sports pundit Alan Smith, speaking before the Reds' impressive victory in Europe, tells Liverpool.com.
"We can almost ignore the Real Madrid stint and look at what he did at Leverkusen. Managing Real Madrid is a totally different job to anywhere else, I think, with the egos and what have you.
"So, there will be question marks about Arne Slot because things are still not right there, far from right.
"I think Spurs had a little look at Alonso as to whether they could get him, but I’m not sure he fancies it. But that will be an ongoing thing, won’t it, with Liverpool fans about Xabi Alonso being available.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot speaks during a press conference.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot speaks during a press conference.(Image: Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu via Getty Images)
"You can understand fans saying they are boring this season. They are a shadow of the team from last year."
Liverpool has had some big results in Europe so far this season — beating Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, and now Marseille — but in the league, it is slightly fortunate that the teams below it have been just as inconsistent.
Chelsea and Manchester United have both changed managers at the start of the new year and could improve. There are only nine points between Liverpool and 15th-placed Bournemouth.
"They just can’t click and can't get any momentum," Smith continued. "Drawing games, left, right, and center... things are just going against them. I think Arne Slot said that.
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"I did the Fulham game when Harrison Reed got that blinding goal right at the end, and that seems to be how things are at the moment for Liverpool.
"But, testing times for Slot and for the fans as well, obviously, after winning the title, they’re expecting a lot more. At this point, you’re just looking at making sure they get back in the Champions League. I think that’s as high as they can aim.
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"Well, they can still win a trophy in the FA Cup. Whether they’re equipped to win that, I don’t know. But to just make sure they’re back in the Champions League again next season is the goal, I think."
In the Premier League, that might be true. In Europe, however, another impressive win has fans dreaming of a Champions League run this year — alongside ensuring qualification for the next edition.