Jamie Carragher names double-winning coach who’d ‘love to manage Liverpool’ if given the chance
· Yahoo Sports
Jamie Carragher has claimed that Xabi Alonso ‘would love to manage Liverpool’ and would jump at a return to Anfield if he felt there was a chance of it happening.
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Amid the steadily increasing pressure on Arne Slot, the former Reds midfielder has been widely touted as a leading candidate to take over from the Dutchman if the latter were to be sacked as our head coach.
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However, several reliable reporters have indicated that FSG are set to keep faith with the 47-year-old, and on Monday it emerged (via The i Paper) that the Spaniard could be tempted to become the next permanent boss of Chelsea as they seek out a successor to Liam Rosenior.
Carragher: Alonso ‘would love to manage Liverpool’
Speaking on Sky Sports‘ Monday Night Football, Carragher claimed that his former teammate Alonso would relish the opportunity to go back to Liverpool, if he felt that the Anfield hierarchy were keen on hiring him.
The pundit said of the ex-Real Madrid boss: “I think he would love to manage Liverpool one day, I’m sure he would, but Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in European football right now.”
Carragher added: “There will be a feeling from a lot of Liverpool supporters that Xabi Alonso’s there and, if we want him, I think he would come to us because there is history with the club, but it looks like the club have made their decision on Slot.
“What tells you they’ve made their decision on Slot is that there’s talks between Xabi Alonso and Chelsea. If there was an inkling that Liverpool were interested in him or that they were gonna change the manager, I think he would go to Liverpool.”
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Alonso won’t stick around for Liverpool if he doesn’t feel wanted
If Carragher’s hunches are correct – and we’ve no reason to believe they aren’t – it’d make the sight of Alonso taking charge at Chelsea all the more gut-punching for Reds supporters whose patience with Slot has run out.
The emotional allure of a return to Anfield may well appeal to the Spaniard, but if he senses that FSG would rather preserve the status quo, he’s not going to wait around for that to change, especially if another club have been more proactive in seeking to hire him.
The worry for Liverpool fans is that the hierarchy are missing a golden opportunity to appoint a coach with proven success (he incredibly won an unbeaten German double with Bayer Leverkusen two years ago) and who’s already adored by supporters, instead showing blind loyalty to a struggling incumbent.
That in itself is frustrating enough without it being compounded by the prospect of Alonso taking the reins at a direct domestic rival in Chelsea, which he has every right to do for his own coaching career (so long as he’s prepared to not get too cosy, with BlueCo already burning through five permanent bosses in four years).
The timing for a rapturous return to Anfield feels right to us. Unfortunately, FSG don’t appear to see it that way.