Xabi Alonso in Demand as Liverpool and City Eye 2025 Return
Xabi Alonso is out of work for now, but his next move already looks like the biggest managerial tug-of-war in Europe.
The former Real Madrid coach, sacked in January after a 3-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final, is being lined up for a Premier League return next season, with Liverpool and Manchester City both positioning themselves for a shot at him, according to British outlet The Sun.
It is a remarkable swing in fortunes. Only months ago, many at the Santiago Bernabéu expected Alonso to be a long-term figure on the touchline. His stock had never been higher after a stunning spell at Bayer Leverkusen, where he delivered an unbeaten Bundesliga title in 2023–24 and added the German Cup for a historic domestic double. That body of work still drives the conversation around him now.
Liverpool pressure, Liverpool nostalgia
At Anfield, Alonso is more than a name on a shortlist. He is part of the club’s modern folklore.
He anchored Liverpool’s midfield during one of the most dramatic nights in Champions League history, the 2005 final in Istanbul, and lifted the trophy with the Reds. That connection has never really faded, and it fuels the belief among many that he would be the perfect figure to steady the club if the current project under Arne Slot unravels.
Slot, 47, is under growing scrutiny. Liverpool’s heavy 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals last Saturday has sharpened the focus on him, coming on top of a dip in league form. The pressure is no longer a distant murmur; it is on the scoreboard and in the table.
In that climate, Alonso is viewed as the ideal candidate should Liverpool decide to make a change next summer rather than mid-season. The idea is clear: if the Slot experiment collapses, the club want a ready-made, elite-level successor with history in red.
City’s succession question
Liverpool, though, are not alone.
Manchester City are also tracking Alonso as a potential successor to Pep Guardiola if the Catalan chooses to walk away at the end of the current campaign, The Sun reports.
The uncertainty around Guardiola’s future is growing. Numerous media reports now frame this as potentially his final season at the Etihad Stadium. City, used to planning years ahead under one of the most meticulous managers in the game, cannot afford to drift into a vacuum.
Alonso, with his sharp tactical reputation and proven ability to build a dominant, possession-based side at Leverkusen, fits the profile of a coach who could continue City’s footballing identity while stamping his own authority on the squad.
So the picture is set: one of Europe’s most coveted free agents, two of the Premier League’s modern superpowers, and a looming summer in which both clubs might be forced into era-defining decisions.
If this really is Guardiola’s last act at City and Slot’s grip on Liverpool weakens further, Alonso will not just be choosing his next job. He will be choosing the direction of English football’s next chapter.
