Liverpool fans championing the case for Xabi Alonso to take over from Jurgen Klopp at Anfield could be set for major disappointment, according to one report.
On Saturday morning, James Marshment claimed for TEAMtalk that the Reds are now fearful of missing out on the Bayer Leverkusen manager, with three reasons specified as to why the 42-year-old may be set to turn down any approach from the club with whom he won the Champions League as a player.
The Spaniard and his family are believed to be settled and happy in Germany, while he’s also thought to be reluctant to take on the unenviable task of being Klopp’s immediate successor, given the incumbent’s legendary reputation on Merseyside.
Furthermore, Alonso is ‘well aware that he may lack the experience required to take on such a high-pressure job at this moment in his career’, with a perception of the Liverpool gig as ‘right job, wrong time’ for a manager who’s seemingly happy to remain loyal to the runaway Bundesliga leaders for at least another year.
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If these reports about Alonso’s apparent stance on the Liverpool manager’s job are true, it’ll come as a crushing blow to Reds fans who’d been fervently hoping that he’d take the reins from Klopp.
All of the reasons specified are legitimate grounds for potentially declining the gig, in particular his family’s reported happiness in Germany. It’d also be understandable if the 42-year-old feels that he wants to accrue more experience before taking on the challenge of managing LFC.
However, the Spaniard would be wise to heed the cautionary tale of Steven Gerrard, who three years ago would’ve seemed a prime candidate to manage his former club off the back of an unbeaten Scottish Premiership triumph with Rangers, only to see his stock nosedive in subsequent stints at Aston Villa and Al-Ettifaq.
Alonso is arguably the hottest managerial property in European football right now for clubs seeking a new head coach, but if his next couple of posts don’t go well, the opportunity to take charge of Liverpool mightn’t come his way again.
For now, we hope that this morning’s reports are premature and not reflective of the 42-year-old’s actual thoughts. We’d still love to see the current Leverkusen boss come in after Klopp, but if he’s adamant that it’s not the right move for him now, FSG must accept the decision and prioritise other candidates instead.