Liverpool, Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola are at the centre of the latest Anfield debate after fresh claims explained why the Reds were never fully convinced by their former midfielder.
Just a couple of weeks after Alonso agreed to take the Chelsea job, the vacancy he had been so heavily linked with opened up. With Arne Slot sacked and Iraola tipped to take the Liverpool job, it has naturally raised questions about whether Liverpool missed their chance.
But even if Alonso had still been on the market, it does not sound like the Reds were all that tempted. Two concerns appear to have shaped their stance, with one centred on power and the other on style.
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Liverpool reluctant to hire club legend out of power balance concerns
Alonso was the number one choice for many Liverpool fans. He is still loved at Anfield, having played a major role in the club’s 2005 Champions League win and built a lasting bond with supporters.
However, that status may also have made life difficult for Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes.
Liverpool have worked hard to build a clear football structure, and a figure of Alonso’s stature would have carried huge influence from day one.
Mark Ogden told ESPN: “I’ve been told right from the outset, right from back to two years ago, that Xabi Alonso was never really kind of high on Liverpool’s list.
“And I think a lot of it is, the fact that clubs don’t really want to go for a club legend if they can help it because that club legend becomes quite a powerful figure and you don’t want to manage this more powerful than sporting directors need in the hierarchy, do they? So that’s one element.”
But it was not just politics that influenced Liverpool’s thinking. Iraola’s work at Bournemouth appears to offer the kind of high-energy football that fits more closely with what the club want next.
Building on reports that emerged last week about style concerns, Ogden continued: “But I think his style of play, I mean, this change with Slot is being designed by Liverpool in many aspects to have a more attacking front foot way of playing and that is Xabi Alonso’s way of playing, really.
“Xabi Alonso isn’t that, he’s certainly not a kind of a Klopp disciple. I’m not saying that Iraola is, but Iraola, his Bournemouth, do have a very high energy way of playing football.
“So that is more suited to what Liverpool want.”
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Slot has left some wreckage behind…
Alonso may have been the dream hire for supporters, but the club never seemed to hold the same level of interest.
The way the last couple of weeks have unfolded has made that clear, and we now just have to hope they made the right call.
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