Xabi Alonso's 'secret' career plan could be huge boost for Liverpool

Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso has been placed as the early favourite to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool. 

The German boss stunned the world in January when he announced he would step down from the Anfield hotseat at the end of the season. 

Speculation immediately turned to his successor with Alonso being mentioned as a frontrunner. 

The 42-year-old is well known to the Kop, having won the Champions League and FA Cup among other honours during a glorious fiver-year spell on Merseyside as a midfield playmaker. 

Since retiring at Bayern Munich in 2017, where he played under Pep Guardiola, Alonso has begun to forge a strong reputation in the managerial game. 

He led Real Sociedad B before Leverkusen swooped in October 2022 to entice him back to the Bundesliga. 

Bayer have risen up the table since his arrival, being among the relegation candidates when he came in, and are now odds-on favourites to win a first-ever German league title this season. 

Last weekend, Alonso and Leverkusen delivered a sit-up-and-take-notice performance in the Bundesliga table-top clash against Bayern Munich. 

The German record champions are aiming for a 12th successive national title but a 3-0 win for Leverkusen has all but ended Thomas Tuchel’s side’s hopes. 

Accordingly, Alonso’s star has risen even further this week with his name linked not only to Liverpool but also to Bayern. 

Tuchel is under severe pressure for his position having only just got over the line in the title race last season and making hard work of retaining his title this time around. 

Also mentioned have been Real Madrid, for whom Alonso won the Champions League as a player. His former manager Carlo Ancelotti is back in charge at the Santiago Bernabeu, having recently signed a contract extension until 2026, but in some corners of Madrid Alonso is already being spoken about as a manager in waiting. 

Speaking on the BBC’s Football News Show, Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague claimed to have some inside information about Alonso and that those three clubs were on the list should his term at Leverkusen prove successful. 

“When he went to Bayer Leverkusen, he told his agent: ‘Do you know what? I am thinking that if it doesn’t go well at Bayer Leverkusen, I’ll go back to Real Sociedad',” Balague said. 

“'But if it goes well, from here, it’s Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich’.” 

“Let me add Manchester City to the equation and that’s where Xabi Alonso could go next. When, is a different matter.”

Alonso is under contract at the BayArena until 2026.