Marseille president Pablo Longoria has recalled what Xabi Alonso ‘told’ him when he tried to hire the current Bayer Leverkusen boss for the Ligue 1 club in 2022, with the 37-year-old mentioning one thing which may offer encouragement to Liverpool fans.
OM were on the lookout for a new manager the summer before last when they approached the former Reds midfielder, who had just departed his post in charge of Real Sociedad B, only for the 42-year-old to politely turn them down.
In an interview with So Foot, Longoria revealed: “It was after Jorge [Sampaoli], so I went to see him [Alonso]. He told me no with an elegance… The same elegance he had when he played football, a 40-yard crossbar in his feet.
“He was telling me no. I should have been upset, but I almost wanted to thank him. You see that his brain goes at another speed. He knew exactly the three or four clubs he wanted to coach and was ready to wait for them.”
Liverpool fans hoping to see Alonso take over from Jurgen Klopp at Anfield might be encouraged by Longoria’s revelation, for it seems that the 42-year-old has a clear vision in mind as to the trajectory of his managerial career.
It appears that he’d be willing to wait for the right opportunity to materialise, and he might well view the Reds job as one, considering his attachment to the club from his playing days.
Although the Marseille president didn’t expand on ‘the three or four clubs’ that the Leverkusen boss would like to manage, LFC may be among those for the aforementioned reason.
Liverpool are reported to have contacted Alonso about the possibility of replacing Klopp in the summer, so now we’re left to wait for the Spaniard’s response, which hopefully will be different from the answer he gave to Longoria two years ago.
#Ep100 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️
Xabi Alonso appears to be the clear favourite to take over from Klopp. However, my one reservation is that he favours 3 at the back at Leverkusen a system that we have never employed and I don’t believe would suit the team’s way of playing. Something to definitely consider because we don’t want players to become unsettled!!