Xabi Alonso has emerged as a potential target for RB Leipzig as uncertainty surrounds Ole Werner and speculation continues over Arne Slot\u2019s future at Liverpool. Reports in Germany suggest Leipzig could look to Alonso if they move to appoint a successor to Werner.<\/p>\n
Alonso\u2019s availability follows a short spell at Real Madrid, where he was dismissed less than eight months into a three-year contract. The prevailing assessment has been that his brief tenure at the Spanish club represented an unfortunate mismatch rather than a lasting stain on his managerial reputation. That perception, combined with the ongoing debate over Slot\u2019s position, has increased interest in Alonso\u2019s services.<\/p>\n
Sport Bild says Werner\u2019s future depends in part on Champions League qualification. Leipzig sit third, five points clear of fifth-place Hoffenheim with only four matches to go. An evaluation of the wider progress of the team could also determine whether the 37-year-old is retained for a second season.<\/p>\n
Should Leipzig seek a new head coach, Alonso is reported to be among a shortlist that includes outgoing Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner and Al Ahli\u2019s Matthias Jaissle, formerly of Red Bull Salzburg. A common factor for the three candidates is Champions League experience. The Red Bull soccer operation\u2019s ambition is underlined by the presence of J\u00fcrgen Klopp at its helm, a factor that adds appeal to the post for prospective candidates.<\/p>\n
For Alonso, a move to Leipzig would more closely resemble his arrival at Bayer Leverkusen, where he reshaped the team into briefly the best in Germany, than his spell at Real Madrid, which quickly faltered. Leverkusen had never been German champions before Alonso led them to an undefeated Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double, the side only beaten in the Europa League final and denied a treble.<\/p>\n
Any approach from Leipzig would become a Liverpool concern only if the club finds itself seeking a new manager. Supporters frustrated by Slot and still besotted by Alonso from his playing days might argue the chance to hire Alonso now, having missed out two years ago, is too good to ignore. That scenario would require dispensing with Slot a year early; the contract he signed to succeed Klopp in May 2024 runs until the end of next season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Alonso is linked with RB Leipzig amid doubt over Ole Werner while Liverpool consider Slot’s future. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12861,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[175,172,1163],"tags":[299,1605,1604],"class_list":["post-12862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-liverpool","category-epl","category-transfers","tag-arne-slot","tag-ole-werner","tag-xabi-alonso"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12862"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12862\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}