With an ego-heavy squad close to open revolt and talk of a return for Zinedine Zidane, Alonso‘s job is at risk.
When Liverpool found themselves having to replace Jürgen Klopp in 2024 when the legendary manager signalled he was tired and needed to step away from football for a time, for many the top potential replacement was always meant to be then Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso.
With the former Red opting to join another club he played for instead and becoming manager at Real Madrid, Liverpool quickly focused in on Feyenoord boss Arne Slot. A little over a year later, and there are question marks surrounding both as their sides stumble in season two.
Following a big summer that saw Liverpool dubbed consensus winners of the transfer window, Liverpool have become mired in mid-table with the season nearing its half way point and have looked short of their best through all of 2025 while those big new signings have struggled.
Meanwhile in Madrid, rebellion has been brewing in a squad filled with superstar egos, and there are reports that despite only being four points off the pace in La Liga and in second place, a defeat to Alaves on the weekend would be the final straw and lead to Alonso’s sacking.
On the surface, Madrid’s current standing hardly seems cause for crisis, but the Spanish giants finished runners up in La Liga, the Copa Del Rey, Spanish Super Cup, and exited at the quarter-final stage in the Champions League last season. Which, for Madrid, is a bad season.
Add in the fact that after the departure of Carlo Ancelotti, Madrid’s ego-heavy squad appears on the verge of revolt and have been resistant to following Alonso’s tactical instructions—and with rumours Zinedine Zidane may be willing to return—and the situation looks bleak.
Inevitably, this has led to an uptick in speculation Alonso could belatedly end up at Liverpool assuming things go the way they look likely to in the Spanish capital and Liverpool remain mired in mid-table in the league under Slot, and certainly it’s a story worth keeping tabs on.
Category: General Sports
