Real Madrid Outcast To Replace Arne Slot At Liverpool? Here's What We Know

Arne Slot is facing immense pressure over his long-term future as the Liverpool manager because of how inconsistent their performances have been in the 2025/26 season. With the defending Premier League champions stuck in sixth place in the table and struggling to earn a top-4 place, questions keep being raised over the uncertainty in the future of Arne Slot at Liverpool and it now seems that former Real Madrid manager, Xabi Alonso, might be in line for a return to become the new Liverpool manager.

Is Xabi Alonso Close To Replacing Arne Slot As Liverpool Manager?

Xabi Alonso is currently a free agent after getting sacked by Real Madrid in January 2026, following an underwhelming stint with the Spanish giants. That means that Liverpool can easily look to appoint him if they opt towards replacing Arne Slot after the end of the 2025/26 season.

It's now being reported that Liverpool indeed considers Xabi Alonso as a major candidate to be the new Liverpool manager and that the Reds' management have been in contact with the Spaniard to discuss possibilities.

However, it's also stated that even though Xabi Alonso would be open to becoming the next Liverpool boss, the club has yet to make a final decision on replacing Slot as they want to give the Dutch manager more time to prove himself until the end of the 2025/26 campaign.

It's also been reported recently that Alonso would only accept Liverpool's offer if a certain number of his conditions are accepted by the club, which involved squad planning for the future and controls over the kind of signings that Liverpool would have to make for him.

How Can Arne Slot Save His Liverpool Job?

Arne Slot is likely to be given until at least the end of the 2025/26 season to stabilize things at Liverpool and prove that he will be able to guide the club to big things in the future. One of the major objectives of the Reds in the final stretch of the campaign would definitely be to look to win the majority of their seven matches in the Premier League to secure a top-4 finish and qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season. Moreover, with Liverpool also being alive in the FA Cup, winning the prestigious cup competition would bring some joy to the fans and prove that Slot can win more trophies with the Reds.

Moreover, Arne Slot also has the opportunity to prove his quality if able to help Liverpool defeat PSG in the quarter-finals of the 2025/26 Champions League. If he can guide the Reds to the semi-finals or final of the Champions League, he'll definitely add more job security to his tally and convince the Reds' hierarchy to keep a hold of him for the future.

If Liverpool are quickly eliminated from both cup competitions and fails to secure a top-5 finish in the Premier League, that could put Slot's job under real jeopardy and convince the Liverpool hierarchy to appoint Xabi Alonso, who has already proven his quality by helping Bayer Leverkusen win the Bundesliga during his stint with the German club.