Less than two years ago, he was the most sought-after young coach in Europe and won the domestic treble in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen, but now Xabi Alonso has suffered the same fate as many of his predecessors at Real Madrid.
On Monday, the 44-year-old former midfielder for Real Madrid, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and the Spanish national team was dismissed as head coach at the Bernabéu, just under eight months after his appointment.
It was an unexpected announcement, but Alonso had been teetering on the brink since disagreements emerged in the dressing room and the team produced a string of poor results in November and December.
When the dust settles, Alonso is unlikely to be short of offers to return to the coaching world. Let’s speculate on where the Spanish coach might continue his career — some options will be more serious than others, but in modern football you never know how things will turn out.
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Liverpool
When Jürgen Klopp announced his decision to leave his position as Liverpool manager at the end of the season in January 2024, Alonso was immediately considered the favourite to replace him.
The Basque specialist was a good fit in many ways. He had a lot of connections with the club from his playing days at Anfield between 2004 and 2009: 210 matches, victories in the FA Cup and the Champions League.
He made a bright start to his coaching career, lifting Bayer from the bottom of the Bundesliga table to fight for their first ever championship (which the team ultimately achieved without losing a single league match).
‘The next generation is already here, and I would say that Xabi stands out in that regard,’ Klopp told reporters amid growing rumours. ‘The football his team plays, the way he builds it, the transfers he makes — it’s an absolutely outstanding approach.’
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But when Liverpool’s sporting director Richard Hughes led the search for the perfect successor to the German, it became clear that Alonso would not be available in the summer of 2024.
During informal talks with his agent Inaki Ibanez, Hughes was told that Alonso would remain at Leverkusen for another season.
There were no face-to-face negotiations with Liverpool, and he was never offered the job. Arne Slot, who was working for Dutch club Feyenoord at the time, soon became the main candidate, while Ruben Amorim, then head coach of Sporting Lisbon and future head coach of Manchester United, was also considered.
Slot exceeded all expectations and led the club to victory in the Premier League in his debut season in 2024/25, and at the time it seemed like the right decision, but the Dutchman had a much more difficult second campaign.
The pressure intensified after a dismal run of nine defeats in 12 matches in September, October and November. But then he managed to stabilise the situation somewhat: Liverpool have not lost in 11 consecutive matches in all competitions.
The owners continue to support him, but the coach’s current contract only runs until the summer of 2027.
Liverpool are fourth in the Premier League, have a good chance of reaching the Champions League play-offs and have reached the fourth round of the FA Cup, so even in a difficult season, there is still something to strive for.
But another worrying dip in results will reignite the debate about Slot’s future — and if the coach is replaced, Alonso would certainly be a popular choice among fans.
Alonso’s dismissal from Real Madrid: the loss of the dressing room and the role of Perez
Manchester City
Planning for life after Pep Guardiola needs to be done in advance, and it seems that Manchester City are already testing the waters and approaching coaches.
Enzo Maresca recently left Chelsea, but even before that, the former City assistant had twice been in contact with his former club — at the end of October and in mid-December — about a possible appointment in the event of Guardiola’s departure.
In accordance with the terms of his contract, Maresca notified Chelsea of these contacts with people associated with City, as is required when other clubs show interest.
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