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Liverpool have received a dramatic boost in their hopes of one day seeing Xabi Alonso at the helm, amid rumours of the Spaniard joining the Chelsea project.
Liverpool have endured a catastrophic season under Arne Slot, now just one defeat shy of breaking the club record for most defeats in a single season this millennium.
With an Anfield stay now appearing as the likely outcome for the Dutchman, seeing Xabi Alonso at Chelsea would almost certainly deny Liverpool the possibility of a Merseyside move for the Spaniard next season, should the club’s trust in Slot prove to be misguided.
Liverpool given green light to pursue Alonso with new Chelsea development
According to transfer news expert Gianluca Di Marzio, speaking to AceOdds, Xabi Alonso is highly unlikely to accept an offer from Chelsea to be their next head coach.
The Spaniard has recent experience in joining an often described as dysfunctional club, to no success and entirely to his own detriment — Alonso’s Real Madrid exit looks less and less like his fault with each passing day.
Di Marzio believes that Alonso is also looking at Enzo Maresca as an example of what could happen to him at Chelsea, with a similarly dysfunctional set-up existing at Stanford Bridge.
Speaking to Ace Odds, Di Marzio said: “I really don't think that Xabi Alonso can or will accept an offer from Chelsea, because he knows what happened to Enzo Maresca when he was the manager.
“He knows that the board wants to have influence on the decisions, which normally is up to the manager. They want to decide which players should be substituted during a match and all that stuff, which Alonso can't accept at all.”
That description should send alarm bells ringing for the Spaniard, with Real Madrid often cited as operating disturbingly similarly in regard to substitutions being decided by higher-ups.
Alonso, who managed Bayer Leverkusen to a historic treble and undefeated Bundesliga season in 2023/24, is sure to be one of Europe’s most wanted managers ahead of next season.
Should Liverpool be forced to admit early in the 2026/27 campaign that their trust in Slot was an error, it would suit the Reds for Xabi Alonso to still be a free agent at that time.
As it stands, the club with the firmest rumoured interest in acquiring the Spaniard's services now seem unlikely to do so, which should bring hope to Liverpool fans who view Slot's position as untenable.
The Dutchman's ailing Liverpool side, who dropped points last weekend in a 1-1 Anfield draw with Chelsea, return to Premier League action on Friday evening against Aston Villa.
