The January window has been a strange one, with new manager talk far more frequent than player transfers, at Liverpool and other top Premier League clubs.
With the pressure on Arne Slot at an all-time high, the discussions around a manager switch are inescapable.
Xabi Alonso’s name is linked with Liverpool almost every day. Many fans are out of patience with the current man in charge.
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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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But Slot’s appointment last season was inarguably the right choice, as evidenced by Liverpool winning their 20th Premier League title. But it very well could have been Ange Postecoglou.
Liverpool had Ange Postecoglou high on their shortlist
At the time, Postecoglou was one year into his Spurs tenure.
When Liverpool learned of Jurgen Klopp’s desire to leave, they quickly looked at the Australian as a viable replacement.
Appearing on talkSPORT on Monday, Ben Jacobs outlined that interest.
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He said: “When there originally was the vacancy after Jurgen Klopp left, Xabi Alonso and a few other candidates, such as Ruben Amorim and even Ange Postecoglou, scored very high in Liverpool’s data-led shortlisting, but Slot became the unanimous choice.”
Ange Postecoglou, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur, shakes hands with Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, prior to the Carabao Cup Semi Final First Leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
We already knew that Amorim was strongly considered — a bullet dodged — but Postecoglou’s apparent suitability for the role is interesting.
That doesn’t mean it would have worked, though.
Liverpool were right to choose Arne Slot over Postecoglou
It’s easy to find yourself a prisoner of the moment when it comes to opinions in football.
Slot’s popularity at Liverpool is waning. The football just isn’t exciting, and the results aren’t good enough either. All hope lies in Europe.
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Qarabag players line up for a squad picture before their UEFA Champions League match against Ajax at Tofiq Bahramov Stadium (Credit: Getty Images/Resul Rehimov/Anadolu).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Resul Rehimov/Anadolu
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One thing about Postecoglou’s coaching style is that you can be guaranteed of entertainment, but he wouldn’t have taken the Reds to a title. Spurs were one of the most inconsistent, frustrating sides in the division last term, finishing in 17th.
The football was end-to-end, hectic, and admittedly fun to watch. That fits the Liverpool way, but that only matters if you can also win games.
Even at Nottingham Forest earlier this season, he couldn’t implement his way of playing and was quickly dismissed.
Now, Slot’s future is up in the air, and Liverpool very well might be back to the drawing board to identify a new hire. They should scratch Postecoglou’s name off the list this time around.
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