Liverpool fans once dreamed of a fairytale reunion with former midfielder Xabi Alonso when the future beyond Jurgen Klopp still hung in the balance.
The Merseysiders could not lure the Spanish head coach away from Bayer Leverkusen, but they did succeed in attracting an attractive proposition in Arne Slot.
So attractive an option, in fact, that the Dutchman would have still been a firm candidate even if the Bundesliga winner had declared his interest in a move to Anfield.
“Nobody at Liverpool denies Alonso would have been a serious candidate if he had been open to taking the job. But they dispute that a declaration of interest from their former midfielder would have made it a one-horse race. Slot, they say, was firmly in their thoughts by that stage,” James Pearce and Oliver Kay reported for The Athletic.
The former AZ Alkmaar boss joins having secured the Eredivisie title and KNVB Cup during his time in Rotterdam.
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No bigger endorsement
Given many at the time had looked at Alonso as the pinnacle of up and coming European managers, it says a great deal how highly rated our incoming boss remained.
It’s not going to be Jurgen Klopp mk.2 – we have to stress. Nor would we want it to be. Our beloved German tactician is, and shall remain, one of a kind; an example to follow, not an act to match.
Ultimately, if Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes – with the help of our world-class data department – are convinced we’ve got the right man, we’re inclined to believe them.
Now it’s up to us to honour our outgoing head coach’s final wish: Back the new man in the technical area with everything we’ve got as a fanbase.
Welcome, Arne Slot.