Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso has been backed to manage Liverpool one day but the pundit making the suggestion does not believe Arne Slot's job at Anfield is under threat. The Reds tried to bring the Spaniard to Merseyside after news of Jurgen Klopp's impending exit was announced in 2024. While he stayed at Bayer Leverkusen before joining Madrid this year, an old team-mate of his thinks a Reds return is possible.
Liverpool reunion for Alonso?
Al-Ahli head coach and former Liverpool player Igor Biscan can see Alonso heading to the Premier League side one day. He added that he wouldn't blame the Reds for chasing the ex-midfielder, such is his pedigree.
Speaking to BOYLE Sports, who offer the latest Premier League betting, Biscan, who played with the Spaniard at Anfield in 2004-05, said: "Xabi Alonso as Liverpool manager? I think that's always a possibility. If he keeps on doing what he's doing, and to be successful and make a difference. Whenever you watch his teams, they are doing so well, they have a clear structure, and the quality is always there. Who wouldn't want to have a manager like him?"
AdvertisementGetty Images SportSlot's job 'not in danger'
Following Liverpool's humbling 3-0 loss at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, question marks have been raised about Slot's future at the club amid a run of six defeats in their last seven games. However, the fact that he led the Reds to the Premier League title means he has enough credit in the bank and the former Feyenoord boss insists the results will turn soon. Moreover, Biscan thinks the Dutchman needs more time to right this ship.
He added: "There is pressure, but for every manager at that level, there is always pressure. I don't think his job is in question. Even if he doesn’t win the league, just by doing what he did last year, after what happened before he arrived and how difficult his job was, it was exceptional. Everybody was saying it would be extremely difficult for him to really continue what Jurgen Klopp had done before him. He is a quality manager, and he deserves a lot of credit and he needs time. There are so many new players, and you need time to make them work together. I'm really sure that they will start winning again very soon."
Liverpool 'not out of title race'
Despite their wretched run, which has left them 11th in the table, Biscan thinks Liverpool can still mount a title challenge. While they are eight points behind league leaders Arsenal, which could stretch to 11 if the Gunners beat Tottenham on Sunday, bigger deficits have been clawed back in the past.
Biscan said: "I won't be too negative because of the many defeats in the last six, seven, or eight games, especially in the league. I think there is still a good chance for Liverpool to compete for the title. Now they will have a run of games which, at least on paper, should be easier. Hopefully, if they can win a few in a row, I think they will be back in the title race."
The former defender also thinks Alexander Isak, who has struggled since his big-money move from Newcastle United, can come good, too.
"Which team would not have wanted to sign Alexander Isak at the beginning of the season? I don't think there is any team, any manager, any set of fans who would say: ‘No, no, we don't like him. We don't believe that he will be good enough for our team'," he said. "He's a special player. He's a top-class centre-forward, like everybody knows. And yeah, he missed pre-season and then the lack of match fitness, sharpness, for sure, takes away a bit of your ability. But it's the same situation like what we said about Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk, you know, the quality is there. And there is for sure quality. It's always been there. It's just a matter of time before he starts scoring. It's just a matter of getting into the right rhythm, scoring some goals, and then again, a little bit of this momentum back. And the whole team needs that, and when this happens, then we will see a different story."
Getty Images SportCrunch period for Liverpool
While things are looking bleak for Liverpool right now, fortunes can change very quickly in football, just as Slot's side have shown for the worse in recent weeks. The Reds, who were top of the table earlier on this season, return to Champions League action on Wednesday at home to PSV Eindhoven. A victory there could give them confidence heading into winnable games against West Ham, Sunderland, and Leeds United.
