Liverpool moved to sign a $23 million (£17 million) replacement for Xabi Alonso in 2009, and he has just landed a big job in Serie A as he takes his next steps in coaching
09:20, 08 Jun 2026
Alberto Aquilani during a Serie B game between AC Monza and Catanzaro
Alberto Aquilani during a Serie B game between AC Monza and Catanzaro(Image: Mairo Cinquetti/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Former Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani has become the new manager of Serie A side Sassuolo, a year after moving to second-tier Catanzaro, where he did well.
Aquilani, now 41, took Catanzaro to fifth place in Serie B in the season just gone, but lost the playoff final to Monza, meaning that he missed out on promotion to the top flight. But Sassuolo was sufficiently impressed regardless.
This will be Aquilani's third job as a head coach at senior level. He began by taking charge of Fiorentina's U19s and then moved to Pisa, continuing to move up the ranks. The ex-Liverpool midfielder will replace 2006 World Cup winner Fabio Grosso, who has resigned in order to take the Fiorentina job.
Back in 2009, Aquilani was the man that Rafa Benitez attempted to replace the Real Madrid-bound Xabi Alonso with. However, the move was not a success.
The Italian was injury-prone and unable to adapt to life in the Premier League, with Aquilani making just 18 league appearances for the Reds before he moved back to Serie A.
He went on to play for Juventus, AC Milan and Fiorentina. In 2012, he secured a permanent exit, with Liverpool bringing in around 10 percent of what it paid for him initially.
Aquilani was signed by Liverpool during his playing days
Aquilani was signed by Liverpool during his playing days(Image: Getty Images)
"Liverpool was a big change for me," Aquilani told the Liverpool ECHO in 2023. "I was a player born in Rome. Player for Roma. Supporter of Roma.
"For me, it was very difficult to leave Roma. I had had a lot of chances to move from Roma, I remember, when I was younger.
"Arsenal and Chelsea gave me big offers, but there was never any chance I’d leave Roma.
"What happened was I was injured, I had a big injury. With this injury, I cannot improve the situation. I needed surgery and was out for four or five months.
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"When my agent told me Liverpool wanted me, for me it was like the years before with Arsenal, Chelsea, Juventus when Roma never sold me.
"But when my agent told me that Roma wanted to sell me, for me it was different. For me, it was impossible to think of changing from Roma to another club, to another country.
"It was impossible, even one year before, but when I understood that that was true, then Liverpool, for me, was the best choice."