Xabi Alonso is no longer a contender to become the next Liverpool manager.
The Reds have been heavily linked with a move to appoint the Spaniard after Jurgen Klopp announced that he will be leaving the club in the summer.
Alonso, who has done an exceptional job at Bayer Leverkusen this season, was almost every Liverpool fan’s preferred option to replace Klopp. He was definitely the number one target.
However, reports overnight have revealed that it is almost certain that he will not be moving to Anfield at the end of this season (Telegraph).
Fabrizio Romano says Liverpool have held internal talks about one manager
Xabi Alonso would’ve been a great choice for Liverpool.
The Spaniard has led Bayer Leverkusen to the top of the Bundesliga table and is all set to win it now. That would be an extraordinary achievement.
It is no surprise that Alonso has admirers, not just at Liverpool but also Bayern Munich, who are also keen to appoint him as their new manager.
However, as things stand, it looks like Alonso will stay at Bayer Leverkusen for at least one more season, and Liverpool will have to look elsewhere.
Fabrizio Romano has shared the latest on the situation, and he has made it clear that the Reds will not wait any longer for Alonso to change his mind.
They have instead held internal discussions about Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim replacing Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool’s next manager. The 39-year-old, however, is not the only name on the list.
Romano tweeted: “Liverpool won’t wait anymore for Xabi Alonso — as Ruben Amorim will be an option already discussed internally, not the only one.
“Bayern are prepared to wait until Xabi make official decision, but he’s expected to stay at Leverkusen until June 2025… with release clause.”
What data analysts actually think of Ruben Amorim at Liverpool
Liverpool, like most other top clubs these days, employ a data-driven approach, and that will be the case again as they determine who the best choice is to replace Jurgen Klopp this summer.
Xabi Alonso has been the favourite for a long, long time, but a detailed assessment by a data analysis company showed that he’s actually not a great fit for the Reds job.
The analysis, which was conducted by calculating eight key metrics, ranked Alonso just one place above the bottom, giving him an underwhelming score of 106.
On the other hand, Ruben Amorim was rated as the best option for Liverpool to replace Klopp, having received a rating of 144.7 – just over six points below the German.