Liverpool supporters have been coming to terms with the news that Xabi Alonso will manage Chelsea, and not the Reds, next season.
Supporters had been desperate to see Alonso arrive to replace Arne Slot, but with Liverpool seemingly determined to stick with the Dutchman, their former midfielder has signed on at Stamford Bridge instead.
It is a gamble from the Liverpool owners, and fans will be far from happy if Alonso goes on to be a success with Chelsea, especially if Slot continues to take them further into disarray.
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But while the disappointment of losing out on Alonso is certainly there, Liverpool legend Steve Nicol has suggested that, given the way FSG work, it would not be a surprise if they have lined up a different candidate instead.
FSG could be eyeing Alonso alternative – Nicol
Alonso joining Chelsea has further underlined the feeling that Slot will stay at Liverpool no matter what this summer.
Speaking on ESPN FC, Nicol said that although others are upset, he trusts FSG’s decision-making, and believes that there may be a bigger plan to ignoring Alonso’s availability.
“FSG haven’t done an awful lot wrong since they got to Liverpool,” said the pundit. “Certainly appointing Arne Slot wasn’t a bad move this time last year when they were picking up the trophy. Things have just gone a little haywire, that Xabi Alonso seemed the ideal situation to jump on.”
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“But I trust FSG, and if they wanted Xabi Alonso and he wanted to go to Liverpool, that would have been done and dusted. I think Liverpool know what they’re doing and I’m more than happy to not have Liverpool owners and FSG all over the papers telling us all what they’re trying to do how they’re going to be doing this and that.
“So far they’ve acted, and we’ve seen how it turns out when they act,” Nicol added. “Up until now, generally, it’s been success. So, I’m not so sure that the Xabi Alonso thing is something Liverpool fans and Liverpool owners will be desperately sad about, because they might just have something else up their sleeve.”
FSG’s party trick will be keeping Slot
Asked whether Liverpool could indeed have ‘something up their sleeve’ in terms of an Alonso alternative, journalist Mark Ogden followed on from Nicol’s comments in predicting that FSG’s party trick will actually be to keep Slot and hope things turn back around at Anfield.
“Have Liverpool got anything up their sleeve? What they’ve got up their sleeve is to stick with Arne Slot and hope it gets better next season,” Ogden claimed.
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“They accept he’s had a difficult season for a variety of different reasons.”
Supporters will be hoping that Ogden is misinformed and that perhaps FSG do have someone else lined up to replace Slot. For now, though, all the signs suggest that the 47-year-old is going nowhere.
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