As Liverpool not only conceded but dropped points to Chelsea in their 1-1 draw on Saturday, more alarm bells rang among the Anfield support.
They have vocalised their feelings towards Arne Slot this season on plenty of occasions but the pressure only ramped up on the Dutchman after failing to beat a team that had lost their last six Premier League games, only scoring once in the process.
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He may well have won the league last term but that feels like a long time ago now and FSG simply have to look at replacing him in the summer.
So, who could the replacement be? Well, there are a few names on the market.
Liverpool start work on Arne Slot replacement
This summer we are set to witness a managerial merry-go-round across the Premier League. Michael Carrick's position as permanent Manchester United manager is not yet confirmed, while Chelsea are also on the lookout for a replacement for Liam Rosenior.
Crystal Palace will also be on the hunt to find a new manager with Oliver Glasner officially leaving Selhurst Park behind. Andoni Iraola is reportedly the favourite for that job but there is a chance he moves elsewhere. He allegedly favours the United gig but the likelihood is that Carrick gets the gig on a full-time basis.
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Iraola has also been mentioned with a move to Liverpool but those at Anfield are unsurprisingly dreaming of somebody else.
That happens to be Xabi Alonso. Reports in recent months have linked the Spaniard with a return to Anfield but nothing official has been forthcoming as yet.
That said, according to reports in Spain, they have now begun exploring a move for Alonso.
While talks between the Spanish tactician and Liverpool have not begun, club officials at Anfield have 'decided to take action'. They have allegedly been in contact with Madrid to understand the situation surrounding his departure from the Bernabeu.
Xabi Alonso at Leverkusen
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Despite the situation surrounding Trent Alexander-Arnold last summer, there is a strong relationship between Real and Liverpool with talks having been held in recent weeks as they seek a letter of endorsement regarding Alonso's credentials.
Why Alonso could be Liverpool's own Pep Guardiola
Slot has plenty of credit in the bank for winning Liverpool the Premier League last season but things have been pretty dismal, particularly in 2026, for the Dutchman. In fact, it's been pretty easy to forget they are actually still the current holders of the English top-flight title.
He can point to some excuses. Mo Salah's performances have waned significantly while Alexander Isak's fitness and injury record after arriving for a club-record fee have been terrible.
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah applauds fans as he walks off the pitch
That said, it does not excuse a collectively poor team unit. Things need to improve and Alonso would surely restore the Anfield side to its former greatness.
The 44-year-old may well have been sacked from his position as Real Madrid boss after a matter of months, but this is a coach who has been hailed as "one of the best managers in the world" by Carlo Ancelotti for a reason.
Xabi Alonso record at Real Madrid (timeless)
It did not work out in the Spanish capital but the work he performed at Bayer Leverkusen is one of the great modern managerial accomplishments.
Toppling Bayern Munich is one thing, but to not only beat them to the Bundesliga title but to win it unbeaten was a remarkable achievement. Alonso's side also got to the Europa League final that year, only beaten by Italian side Atalanta in the final.
At Leverkusen, he traditionally operated with a three-man defensive shape but in Madrid, he transitioned to a 4-2-3-1. It was a sign of Alonso moving towards what he learned from Pep Guardiola.
A "tactical genius" in the words of podcaster and analyst James Lawrence Alcott, Alonso has been coached by some of the finest brains to ever study the game in Rafa Benitez, Jose Mourinho, Guardiola and Ancelotti. As a result, it is perhaps unsurprising that he is one of the finest young managers around.
However, out of all of those managers, it was certainly Pep who proved to be the biggest influence.
Speaking ten years ago in April 2016, while he was still a player, Alonso admitted: "Guardiola represents my version of perfection in football."
It will come as no shock, therefore, that he has leaned on that vision since becoming a manager. Spanish football expert Marti Perarnau told The Athletic in 2025: "The relationship between Pep and Xabi at Bayern was very good, and very intense."
Perarnau continued: "They established a friendship, which extended to the families. Xabi wanted to understand Pep’s ideas and constantly asked for details to learn them. He was like a sponge, absorbing Guardiola’s ideas about the game.”
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So what is that vision? Well, while Guardiola pioneered tiki-taka at Barcelona, it's now very much about exerting as much control over a game as possible. If you have the ball, your opposition cannot score. It's a principle applied by Mikel Arteta at Arsenal too.
Putting a big emphasis on build-up play, as Arteta and Guardiola do, Alonso's arrival at Anfield could be game-changing for a team who have played some turgid football in 2026.
Liverpool are yet to make a decision on Slot's future beyond this season but it should be an easy one. If Alonso is available, you simply have to go and get him before someone else does. He will not be out of work for very long.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp Related
[The new Klopp: FSG can forget Alonso by hiring the "best young coach in Europe"](https://www.footballfancast.com/liverpool-can-hire-next-klopp-in-julian-nagelsmann/ "The new Klopp: FSG can forget Alonso by hiring the "best young coach in Europe"")
Liverpool could hire their next Jurgen Klopp by hiring this head coach to replace Arne Slot.