Who Xabi Alonso could make his first signing if he replaces Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool

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After Jurgen Klopp’s shock announcement on Friday, the world is still reeling. The Liverpool boss was so integral to the club’s success over the last decade it’s impossible to imagine the Reds without him.

But life unfortunately moves on. And already the discussion about his successor is a rife topic in the media. One of the favourites right now to succeed Klopp is Xabi Alonso. The former Liverpool midfielder is doing an incredible job at Bayer Leverkusen at the moment, and he seems like someone who has innovative ideas with the potential to become an elite coach.

Alonso is far from a finished product. He’s only been working at Leverkusen for a year and a half. But in that time he has shown a lot of promise and has proven that his ideas and football philosophy could be a natural evolution to Klopp’s gegenpress at Anfield.

If he was to arrive, he would undoubtedly make changes to the team. That’s natural. He won’t exactly play a similar style to Klopp. Which means it could be a busy summer in terms of departures and arrivals in the playing squad as well. And in our opinion, one of Alonso’s potential first signings could be obvious.

Martin Zubimendi could be Alonso’s first signing

In Alonso’s system, he uses a double pivot in midfield. The two pivots play a key role in providing defensive stability but also in instigating the build-up phase of the game.

It’s a position where Alonso will look to strengthen. Especially as Liverpool are still lacking a little bit in the holding midfield department. And one of the best possible candidates he could look to bring in is Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi.

A Spanish senior international, Zubimendi is only 24-years-old, but he’s already got a plethora of experience under his belt. He’s in great form this season and has even impressed in the Champions League.

Sociedad is a club that Alonso knows well. He came through the ranks there as a player and managed the club’s B team recently as well. Those relations could help ease negotiations for Zubimendi.

To add even more credence to this view, Alonso will be very familiar with Zubimendi, having worked with him at Sociedad’s B team. Alonso managed him in a total of 25 games over the course of the 2019/20 and 2020/21 season. This means Zubimendi will be familiar with Alonso’s methods already, and could come in and settle a lot quicker compared to other potential targets in the position.