Club president says Xabi Alonso knows exactly which clubs he’s ‘ready to wait for’

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As Liverpool search for their next manager, Xabi Alonso has quickly been installed as the favourite.

Others, such as most recently Sporting boss Ruben Amorim, are said to be ‘standing out.’ But by and large, Alonso would seem to be the popular choice. There’s good reason for that of course. The Spaniard is working wonders at Bayer Leverkusen. Just last night they won again, qualifying for the German Cup semi-final and making it 30 games unbeaten in all competitions.

It’s that kind of record which has led to claims that Liverpool fans would be disappointed if it were anyone else now. Another thing that marks Alonso out is the rapport he already has with the club. It’s been claimed the the 42-year-old actually has an ‘unwritten’ clause in his contract which allows him to leave for Liverpool, Bayern Munich or Real Madrid – his former clubs.

And according to Marseille president Pablo Longoria, it appears that Alonso is ‘waiting’ for these clubs. Speaking to So Foot about his attempt to hire the World Cup winner as manager in 2022, Longoria claimed that Alonso had a clear vision of how his coaching career should go.

“It was after Jorge (Sampaoli),” began the president. “So I went to see him [Alonso]. He said no with an elegance… The same one he had when he was playing football, a 40-yard crossbar at his feet. He was telling me no, I should have been [disappointed], but I almost wanted to thank him. You see that his brain is going at a different speed.

“He knew exactly the three or four clubs he wanted to coach and was ready to wait for them.”

Alonso waiting for ‘three or four’

It isn’t difficult to deduce who these ‘three or four’ clubs might be. Indeed, Alonso only played for four in his whole playing career.

Right now, the only one of those teams that might soon have a vacancy is Liverpool. It all just makes sense.

Of course, hiring Alonso wouldn’t be without its risks. The Leverkusen coach is still very inexperienced at the top level of management. There’s a chance that the Reds position may come too soon for him.

But in reality, any hire is a risk in football. Whoever you bring in – especially after a manager who’s been in the job as long as Jurgen Klopp – is going to have a period of adaptation.

Just at the moment, there doesn’t feel to be any other outstanding candidate. The timing lines up for Alonso.

From Xabi’s point of view, he may well be feeling that he wanted another year or two in his first role before one of his goal positions came up. But you can’t plan these things. The opportunity looks likely to be there, surely he can’t say no.

Thankfully, the inference so far has been that Alonso would indeed say yes to Liverpool if they come calling.

Returns often don’t really work out in football. The history of the game is littered with instances of those who should have left their legacy at a club intact.

But Xabi somehow feels different. He wants the job and we want him in it. Come on FSG, get on that phone!