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Amidst the mounting pressure on Arne Slot and calls for him to depart Anfield given the poor position Liverpool now find themselves in, the club’s ideal successor has just signed for a Premier League rival.
It has been announced today that Xabi Alonso will officially become Chelsea’s next manager from July 1st.
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It is an announcement that has upset multiple fans of the club, given Xabi Alonso’s ties to Liverpool and the opportunity that could’ve presented itself if Fenway Sports Group were to relieve Arne Slot of his duties.
As it stands, FSG intend to stick with Arne Slot, and appear determined to bust the narrative that fans always get what they want when they begin to express their discontent with the current leader of their team.
Xabi Alonso start to managerial life has been largely successful.
The former Liverpool midfielder took the reigns at Bayer Leverkusen in October 2022 and redirected the entire trajectory of the club.
He went on to break several records with the Bundesliga outfit, including winning the league title without losing a single time during the 2023/24 season.
He then headed to Real Madrid and despite a few inconsistencies he appeared to be seeing them into a positive future.
The club disagreed and he was relieved of his duties after just 233 days.
Los Blancos have since gone on to be significantly worse under interim manager Alvaro Arbeloa for the remainder of the season, ending the campaign for a second year running trophyless.
When Arne Slot took over after Jurgen Klopp, he beat a whole host of names to the hotseat.
One of those was Xabi Alonso.
But The Telegraph’s Sam Wallace has revealed that Xabi Alonso didn’t take over that summer due to a decision made by the manager himself, and not the club.
The report states: “In the week that Xabi Alonso has begun addressing the finer details of his Chelsea agreement, the most obvious contender for Slot’s job has slipped out of reach. FSG would have appointed Alonso post-Jürgen Klopp but that Alonso turned down Liverpool, and then waited another year for Real Madrid to become available, seems to have made a profound impression on FSG. They have, it is understood, made no plans to replace Slot this summer.”
The job at Liverpool is not one that you can say no to and the club will take lightly.
It isn’t seen as a stepping stone or something you can fall back on when you are short of options.
Fenway Sports Group are strict owners and stand by what they believe in, excluding their recent backtracking on rising ticket prices.
Xabi Alonso’s decision to turn down Liverpool last summer appears to have soured the connection between the club and manager and that will explain why they haven’t even considered approaching him despite Arne Slot’s struggles this season.
They have chosen to continue with Arne Slot and have entrusted him with steering the ship around.