Liverpool FC news recap: Liverpool Legends win, Sven quotes, Alonso update
Here’s our Liverpool FC news recap for Saturday 23rd March. The Liverpool Legends played their annual fixture for the LFC Foundation.
Liverpool Legends beat Ajax Legends on Saturday - and we even got a Fernando Torres goal. The Spaniard found the scoresheet along with Gregory Vignal, Djibril Cissé and Nabil El Zhar to help the Reds win from 2-0 down.
But, of course, this was also a day for Sven-Goran Eriksson, who got to live his dream at least a little bit. The legendary boss announced earlier this year that he has terminal cancer - this was a way to give back to him a bit.
Outside of the game, the Reds have received potentially terrible news on the Xabi Alonso front. There's also talk of Thiago's next destination.
Here's our Liverpool FC news recap.
Sven-Goran Eriksson on Anfield expierence
Sven-Goran Eriksson did a post-match interview for LFCTV alongside Steven Gerrard, his former player for England. He did his best to sum-up his experience.
"Everybody was a winner today," he said. "It was beautiful, absolutely incredible. Everything from You'll Never Walk Alone and the rest of the match - and a good win!"
Eriksson would later sum it up all more succinctly as the emotion hit him. "A memory for life!" he shouted.
Liverpool won 4-2 on the day with goals from Gregory Vignal, Djibril Cissé, Nabil El Zhar and Fernando Torres. That came after Ajax had raced into a 2-0 first-half lead at Anfield.
The Reds stormed back, though - with Gerrard claiming after the game that it was down to Eriksson's tactical changes at half-time.
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Worrying Xabi Alonso update
Xabi Alonso tops the shortlist to be Liverpool's next manager. The problem is that he also tops the shortlist elsewhere.
Bayern Munich will also change manager this summer as Thomas Tuchel leaves with the end of the campaign. They want Alonso as their next boss - the man who will almost certainly condemn them to a title-less season for the first time since 2012.
And according to Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg, it's the Bavarians who will get their way here.
"Bayern Munich are confident to sign him, they are pushing for him," said Plettenberg. "But there are no negotiations - talks have taken place but no negotiations.
"It's difficult to get him but Bayern are optimistic. If Uli Hoeness, the president, the 'super boss' of the club, if he confirms in public that Xabi Alonso is a name they are targeting, that means everything."
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Thiago to Italy?
As Jurgen Klopp's impending departure from Liverpool casts a shadow over Anfield, the Reds are already gearing up for a significant overhaul, both in the managerial hot seat and on the pitch. One player almost certain to leave is midfielder Thiago Alcantara.
The Spaniard turns 33 next month, and with his contract set to expire at the end of the season, it seems his time at Anfield is drawing to a close.
Sources suggest that Thiago's departure from Liverpool is all but certain, paving the way for a potential move to another European powerhouse.
According to a report from Fichajes, the experienced midfielder could be eyeing one last challenge at a top club before considering options outside of Europe.
With his contract situation making him an attractive proposition in the transfer market, the report suggests that Serie A duo Juventus and Inter Milan are “evaluating the possibility of incorporating Thiago to reinforce their midfield lines”.
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Alonso timeline
With a battle for Xabi Alonso's future brewing, the man himself has stayed coy as he focusses on a potentially historic season at Leverkusen.
However, while the priority will be ensuring his side end the campaign as champions, Alonso is bound to be thinking beyond May.
According to the Athletic's Raphael Honigstein, he could even make a decision before the season's climax.
Speaking on The Daily Football Briefing podcast, the journalist suggested a timeframe of the end of April for when Alonso could makes his decision on where he will be at the start of next season.
He said: "My hunch is that these are discussions that are happening now, in the international break, which is a good time for this, and that he will, out of courtesy of all the clubs involved including Leverkusen, probably make a decision by the end of April. That would be my timeframe."
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