Liverpool’s hopes of appointing Xabi Alonso could be complicated, with reports suggesting Tottenham Hotspur have opened talks.
Alonso’s departure from the Bernabeu follows a 3-2 loss in the Spanish Super Cup to arch-rivals Barcelona and brings to an end a disappointing tenure that was supposed to be a match made in heaven with the former Madrid player.
The club released a statement on Monday, reading: ‘Real Madrid C. F. wishes to announce that, by mutual agreement between the club and Xabi Alonso, it has been decided to bring his time as first team coach to an end.
Alonso departs Real Madrid
‘Xabi Alonso will always carry the affection and admiration of all Madridistas because he is a Real Madrid legend and has always represented the values of our club. Real Madrid will always be his home.
His seven-month reign began after he arrived from Germany, where he guided Bayer Leverkusen to an unbeaten season and a Bundesliga title. The historic campaign, as well as his links with the clu,b should have produced a perfect replacement for Carlo Ancelotti, but things never quite clicked.
The Club World Cup was a tough task to begin the season, with a 4-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain knocking them out at the semi-final stage, and the tone was set for a poor run of form.
Tottenham’s fortunes have also faltered under Thomas Frank. Last season’s woeful league finish of 17th no longer looks like a one-off, as they find themselves 14th after 21 games played.
Spurs have picked up just a single victory in their last seven games, and suffered an early FA Cup exit on Saturday at the hands of Aston Villa.
They managed a small moral victory over Villa by beating them to the signing of Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid for around £35million, but it is looking increasingly likely that this move is to prepare them for life beyond Frank.
Tottenham’s poor showing means all eyes are on the Dane, and by opening talks with Alonso, they are sending a statement of intent to the rest of the league that they still believe they can fight at the top.
Another former club for Alonso
Liverpool have long been linked with Alonso, particularly amidst their poor start to the season, where Arne Slot’s future was on a knife-edge every game. Despite an upturn in results guiding them back to the top four, the question mark over Slot’s head remains.
The move makes sense for the same main reason as the Real Madrid appointment: he has played for the club and knows the league inside out.
Liverpool is one of the biggest clubs in the world, but the cauldron of pressure at Real Madrid is unlike anywhere else, and Alonso has displayed that he has what it takes to win.
With a squad largely similar to the Premier League-winning outfit of last year, perhaps it could be the perfect place for a career revival.
