Xabi Alonso felt it was natural for Steven Gerrard to manage Liverpool before he did, as the Spaniard closes in on a return to the Premier League - but not with the Reds
Will Jenkins
15:09, 16 May 2026Updated 15:09, 16 May 2026
Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso are both deemed Liverpool legends
Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso are both deemed Liverpool legends
Liverpool legend Xabi Alonso has reportedly previously claimed that he felt Steven Gerrard should manage Liverpool before he does.
This season has seen a period of unrest for the Liverpool hierarchy. Off the back of a successful Premier League-winning campaign under Arne Slot, fans are now calling for the Dutchman to be fired following a poor run of form.
Friday night's defeat to Aston Villa was Liverpool's 12th loss of the season. This leaves them level on defeats with newly-promoted Leeds United and Sunderland. With Slot facing an uncertain summer despite backing from FSG, pundits and fans have been identifying potential replacements - and Xabi Alonso's name continues to come up.
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A member of Liverpool's iconic 2005 Champions League-winning side, Alonso remains a beloved figure among the Anfield faithful.
However, with FSG continuing to back Slot and Chelsea reportedly moving closer to appointing Alonso as manager, a return to Merseyside this summer appears unlikely. Ironically, though, that seems to be exactly the path Alonso once envisioned.
According to Guillem Balague, Alonso believed it was natural for Gerrard to take the helm at Anfield before him. Balague wrote on X: "Xabi Alonso had a plan when he was about to leave Real Sociedad B (Sanse). Go to a top European side with ambition.
"Bayer Leverkusen was chosen. If it didn’t work out, then go back to Real Sociedad as a first team manager. If it did, then he would aim to go to Bayern Munich (which came off the list after Leverkusen won the league, it did not make sense for Xabi to aspire to join a rival of his biggest success), Real Madrid or Liverpool.
Xabi Alonso left Real Madrid via a mutual agreement despite having a 70% win rate
Xabi Alonso left Real Madrid via a mutual agreement despite having a 70% win rate(Image: Alex Pantling - UEFA via Getty Images)
"Once he told me he would love to manage in Anfield but that the natural way of things would be for Steven Gerrard to go there first, and the return of the prodigal son seems far-fetched now.
"We know the tension at Liverpool, but also that Arne Slot will remain beyond the summer. It is easy to say, “wait for that to go wrong or for it to finish naturally,” but football managers have to take decisions when offers arrive.
"And we know that in this game, two plus two is not always four. So the very real possibility of Xabi Alonso managing Chelsea comes in that context.
"Very rarely a manager chooses in football (Pep getting a national side at some point will happen, a dream of his, but Pep is Pep), football chooses for you, it is the game that imposes the timing.
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"We are hearing from sources very close to the Chelsea decision makers that they are going to tweak the system to give the manager more voice. That is Xabi’s first win and you are never stronger than when you are negotiating to land in a club."
Former Liverpool captain Gerrard has spoken publicly about his 'dream' of managing Liverpool. He told The Overlap : "I’ve got a brilliant connection with the club, I always have. Probably a stronger connection since I left, they’ve always been unbelievable.
"Any help or area I could help the club in, obviously, I’d try and do it if I could. But I suppose what you want to know is, do I want to manage Liverpool at some point in my life?
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"Of course, that would be a dream, but I think, would I be ready for it right now, to take it over a long period of time, probably not. But is there a possibility in the future to be alongside someone, them elite managers that you talk about."