FSG had reportedly considered appointing Xabi Alonso for Liverpool after Jurgen Klopp left in 2024, but that stance has seemingly changed in the meantime.
In recent months, the former Reds midfielder had been widely touted for a return to Anfield as head coach amid growing pressure on Arne Slot, but as of Sunday morning he’s now the manager of Chelsea.
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When LFC were looking for a successor to Klopp two years ago, the Spaniard had seemed a leading candidate at a time when he was masterminding an unbeaten domestic double in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen.
FSG had considered appointing Alonso in 2024
Alonso opted to remain with the Bundesliga club that year before leaving for Real Madrid in 2025, lasting just seven months at the Bernabeu before his swift dismissal in the first two weeks of January.
As reported by Sam Wallace for The Telegraph on Sunday, ‘FSG would have appointed Alonso post-Jürgen Klopp but that Alonso turned down Liverpool, and then waited another year for Real Madrid to become available, seems to have made a profound impression on FSG. They have, it is understood, made no plans to replace Slot this summer.’
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Could FSG be made to rue a huge missed opportunity?
If Alonso was determined to remain with Leverkusen rather than going to Liverpool in 2024, that’s his prerogative and there wasn’t much more that FSG could’ve done to entice him to Anfield.
However, if it’s true that the hierarchy hadn’t considered appointing the Spaniard in recent weeks just because he turned down the Reds two years ago, that’d be incredibly petty and naive on their part.
The decision-makers in the boardroom may still trust in Slot to revive LFC’s fortunes, but there are fewer and fewer fans who share that same faith in the Dutchman, who’s facing increasingly loud and widespread calls to be removed from his position.
It will have hurt Liverpool fans to see a former Anfield great and an excellent manager in Alonso going to a direct domestic rival in Chelsea at a time when so many have been crying out for change on Merseyside.
If the Spaniard goes on to lead the Blues to major silverware in the coming years and the Reds continue their downward trajectory, the apparent stubbornness of FSG in recent weeks and months could come at a massive cost.
FSG have made a big mistake in not hiring Alonso as LFC manager, and not firing Slot! It will come back to haunt Liverpool. I want to know, how did the owners of LFC make their money if they can’t see that Slot is a loser, and that Alonso is a winner and best thing for Liverpool right now??!
Agree not firing Slot is a mistake, but Alonso is NOT the answer!
Alonso can bring something back to anfield. The fans and the dressing room.
Slot out NOW. The worst manager Liverpool have had ever – no Plan B, drab football. He lost the players weeks ago. Get rid NOW…
LFC will regret this.
FSG sucks with Slot. When Klopp needed players, they hesitate to pump in money. Now they spent huge money for Slot, who didn’t do much. Playing terrible soccer.
Not only Slot will feel the wrath of the supporters, but the board who make the decisions. If Alonso is a success at Chelski, the board will be under immense pressure to quit.
Slot, Hughes, Edwards, FSG OUT!!!.
You absolute clowns. FSG out? First they rescue the club from Gillett and Hicks ✔️, they rebuild the stadium ✔️ they get Klopp and support him to win leagues ✔️ picks slot, wins the league first try ✔️ buys wirtz, isak, ekitike, chiesa and everyone is creaming their pants ✔️ a season goes poorly with major injuries, jotas death, senior players leaving and the team underperforming = get rid of everyone… unreal the way the world is gone and how people have become extremely entitled
You can’t be more right about delusional and entitled fans. Maybe they should question the decisions that Chelsea have made under the new ownership and decide if appointing Alonso is the right one. If Slot goes which I don’t care one way or the other, FSG always have options that tunnel-visioned fans are sorely lacking in.
So true. They havent made many mistakes in their sporting investments.
Slot should have been replaced. It is still probable that LFC don’t have european football next year. All Slot has done is chase big named attackers, what about the defense and midfield.
They will sack slott come late october/November… with more rubbish results
The only next best, if not the better option than Alonso is IRAOLA. I don’t know why FSG belittle his achievements and abilities. I see no other manager that can turn things around in the very short term.
Look through the history of FSG at Liverpool and how they run the club. They don’t want a manager who has a say over transfers. That’s the reason they didn’t want Alonso. They want Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes to decide who we buy and sell.
Chelsea for the first time have given a manager say over transfers, that was why Alonso was by convincing by Chelsea.
What Alonso achieved in Germany with arguably a smaller German club than what klopp did with Dortmund is a far better than anything slot did in a very weak Dutch league. If there was a 64 page dossier on Alonso, he would have ticked every box.
FSG like control, over spending and selling, They prefer a yes man who won’t say too much when FSG decides to sell one of our best players. Diaz last summer was the perfect example.
It’s all to do with saving money and making profits.
Alonso although was perfect for success on the pitch. It didn’t fit FSGS business narrative.
That sums up charlatan owners FSG. Who now are deeply unpopular at Liverpool and Boston red Sox.
FSG out.
Who is this clown??? What makes you think Alonso would be a success at Liverpool. As much as I do not rate Slot, FSG has done well for Liverpool. Have they been perfect? May be not however they deserve much more credit from all of us for rescuing our beloved club from Hicks and Gillet era
Go back to sleep! We are at least TEN years away from genuine any FSG OUT calls!
Build the team around Wirtz
Chris, it was Christian Purslow who rescued us from Hicks and Gillett, not FSG. Purslow was the middle man to make the deal
Fsg bought the club for 300million. They value the club at 4billion today. If someone were to make the offer, fsg will bite their hands off. They are businessmen who know nuts about football.
Sebastian Hoeness should be the obvious candidate to replace Slot, or maybe Julian Nagelsmann (if he is available). For midfield, Camara or Mamadou Sangare and Mateus Fernandes, Alex Scott is another league proven good player, or maybe Kees Smit. Wingers, Maghnes Akliouche and Bazoumana Toure. Diomande is too costly and risky.
Camavinga would be a good addition as cover for LB and Midfield but not as sole No 6. And, I really feel that Luca Stephenson should be given a chance at RB next season (LFC have lost many good homegrown young players like Quanshah and Morton).
Maybe fire Edwards and bring in Klopp in that management position.
We need to bolster our midfield. We lose a lot of possession their and we also are very slow in the transition to get our possession forward
I think it’s good FSG did not hire Alonso. After Slot, I want Luis Enrique…for now let’s be patient with Slot…YNWA
Mate, it is a dream that cannot happen. He has the backing of Arab owners, control over transfers and at the best European club today. Maybe you can look at Xavi Hernandez who is also from the barca setup.
Well I really do not believe the noise that FSG will retain Slot, I think they are waiting to see out this last game and a decision will be made to move him on…for me it is Ariola or Hoeness only as suitable, agree tat Diomande is way overpriced and there are far more better proven EPL players than him. Think that a few players must be sold – to of that list are Gapko, Frimpong and MacAllister, I would definitely keep Curtis Jones as a second choice right back and if desperate midfield substitute. We definitely need a midfield enforcer. We also need a tight and left winger (Rio is still learning and maturing – but should be given shared game time with whoever we buy for the right wing). Slot has not given chances to the younger lads like Nyoni – this has been one among many of his faults. The failure of of FSG to not land Guehi and then the failure if Hughes not to land Semenyo (those two players have been more than helpful to Man City in their climb back up the ladder)…they were ideal personnel for this Liverpool team – finding players now of a quality equal to theirs will not be an easy task. Who,soever was instrumental in signing Frimpong should be and deserves to be sacked – his physical stature alone makes him unsuitable to be paying at the physicality level of EPL and is a lesson for the future on the type of payer not to buy purely based on physical frame. YNWA
Mate, I think our team today is good. The coach did not maximize their potential. Let the new head coach come in and he might be able to unlock the beast in everyone of them. We still need to invest in a dm, perhaps only 1 winger or both if our current squad really cannot make it, DC.
How come you left out the fact that Alonso waited a year for the Madrid position to be open? Yes, it was Alonso’s prerogative to stay on at Bayern Leverkusen while waiting for Real Madrid to call, but isn’t it FSG’s prerogative too to choose to continue with Arne Slot?
And, despite your aggressive attempt to paint that decision in very bad light, fact remains there are strong precedents that support that decision. Arne Slot won the league in his first year – it doesn’t matter that the team wasn’t “his”; he chose who to play, what tactics to play, when to substitute, and when and how to train. So he very much won the league on his own decisions.
Then he falters in his second season. The Premier League is full of managers who struggled in their first few years but turned out to be great at the end. Sir Alex. Arsene Wenger. Even Jurgen Klopp. Mike Arteta. Do you have an idea how long Arteta has been at Arsenal? Do you know he has only won the FA Cup in all those years?
You talk about the shame of a Liverpool legend succeeding at a local rival; would that preclude Arne Slot succeeding at Liverpool, too? And, just like he failed and got fired in 7 months at Real Madrid, Alonso could fail at Chelsea too and get fired in a season or two down the line.
So let FDG be. And let Arne Slot be, too. Our support is what they all need right now, not condemnation.
Mate, if the football played is entertaining and we lose with pride, I’m sure Liverpool fans will continue to back arne slot. You search your conscience, have we been playing good football this season? The decline is obvious and we lost 20 games this season. We even achieved 0xg against psg at Paris, how embarrassing this is on the defending epl champions. Arne slot is not the person to lead us out of the mess. He lost the fans, the dressing room as what we can see from salah’s post is liked by several 1st team players. It is time for fsg to take action.
You good Sir, speak sense. 👏
Big mistake to continue with Slot. It’s going to get worse. Liverpool should have bitten the bullet and hired Alonso.