Liverpool’s search for a new manager is entering a crucial stage after the club were turned down by Xabi Alonso.
Alonso was the outstanding candidate to take over from Jurgen Klopp at the end of the season. However, the former Reds midfielder has decided to stay on at Bayer Leverkusen.
As a result, Liverpool have had to move on to option number two. For the moment, that would appear to be Sporting’s Ruben Amorim.
The Portuguese coach isn’t the only one on the list though, with Roberto De Zerbi another to have been very heavily linked with the position.
With Alonso previously seen as a shoo-in in some quarters, whatever happens next is going to be a little unexpected.
Owen Hargreaves shares his surprise
Depending on your outlook, you could have taken Alonso’s decision to stay with his current club in a number of different ways.
For some, the Spaniard will have made a noble choice. In a world where it’s becoming harder and harder for ‘smaller’ clubs to win, they’ll applaud his committment to the team where he’s made his names as a coach.
For others, Alonso has just made a big mistake. Jobs like the one at Liverpool don’t become available all that often and even if he has designs on still taking it in the future, there’s no guarantee at all that that happens.
One who very much falls on the former side of this debate is TNT Sports pundit Owen Hargreaves. The former England midfielder has hailed Alonso, while also admitting to being surprised by his choice.
“I’m impressed actually,” says Hargreaves. “I think he’s made the right call, stay there and then see what happens in the summer. If he wins the Bundesliga, maybe another European trophy and he can keep that team together then it could be something special.
“It’s probably a bit of a surprise, most managers when their stock’s high they tend to strike but Xabi, obviously relatively young as a manager he wants to stay where he’s very comfortable.”
Will Xabi Alonso ever manage Liverpool
Again, there will likely be differing views about this amongst the fanbase. Some will perhaps see Alonso’s refusal to re-join the Reds as a bit of a slight.
Having already walked out on the club once, 15 years ago, there could be a portion of fans who will see the door as now being closed for Xabi.
However, according to reports yesterday, Alonso himself does not see it that way. The World Cup winner still reportedly has managing Liverpool in his ‘big vision’ for the future.
So, if things go to plan for Alonso, this won’t be the last we’ve heard of him coming back to Anfield. The door closing for now may have been a surprise, but no one should be shocked if the story continues at a later date.