Xabi Alonso in Demand as Liverpool and Manchester City Eye Managerial Role
Xabi Alonso is heading back to the dugout next season – and the Premier League is bracing itself.
The former Real Madrid coach, who was dismissed in January after a 3-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final, is being lined up for one of English football’s two biggest benches. According to British newspaper The Sun, Liverpool and Manchester City have both marked him down as a leading candidate for a new era starting next summer.
It is a remarkable twist in a coaching journey that already feels condensed and dramatic. Alonso’s stint at Real Madrid lasted less than half a season, cut short despite the expectation that his spell at the Santiago Bernabéu would be a long-term project. Those expectations were not plucked from nowhere.
He had just come off a historic campaign with Bayer Leverkusen, where he delivered an unbeaten Bundesliga title in 2023–24 and added the German Cup for good measure. That double did not just enhance his reputation; it catapulted him into the top tier of Europe’s most wanted coaches.
Now he stands at the centre of a looming tug-of-war.
Liverpool’s past, Liverpool’s problem
Liverpool’s interest is rooted in both nostalgia and necessity.
Alonso is still adored at Anfield. As a player he helped drive the club to that unforgettable 2005 Champions League triumph, his name stitched into the fabric of Liverpool’s modern history. For many supporters, the idea of him returning as manager feels almost pre-written.
The reality on the ground is less romantic and more ruthless. Arne Slot, the 47-year-old Dutchman, is under mounting pressure. A bruising 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals last Saturday has intensified scrutiny, arriving on top of a dip in Premier League form.
In that context, Alonso is viewed as the ideal successor should Liverpool decide to act. A modern tactician, a club legend, a coach with recent silverware and a proven ability to build a winning culture quickly – the fit is obvious, and the clock is ticking.
City’s contingency for a post-Guardiola world
Liverpool, though, are not alone.
Manchester City are also tracking Alonso as a possible successor to Pep Guardiola. The same report states that City see him as a serious option if Guardiola leaves at the end of the current season.
Uncertainty around Guardiola’s future is growing. Multiple media reports suggest this could be his final campaign at the Etihad Stadium, a potential closing chapter to one of the most dominant managerial reigns English football has seen.
If that door closes, City will not want to be caught unprepared. They will look for someone who can inherit a winning machine without dismantling its identity. Alonso, with his tactical clarity and recent record of building an attacking, controlled side at Leverkusen, fits that profile.
One coach, two giants, one decision
So the stage is set.
A coach who conquered Germany, burned through Madrid in fast-forward and now stands on the threshold of England, is about to become the focal point of two heavyweight rebuilds.
Liverpool can offer history, emotion and a fanbase that already sings his name. City can offer stability, resources and the chance to follow directly in Guardiola’s footsteps.
Alonso will not lack options. The question is simple, and it will define the next chapter of his career: Anfield or the Etihad?
