Gary Lineker has admitted it wouldn’t be a huge shock to see Xabi Alonso replace Arne Slott at Liverpool next season. The reigning Premier League champions have endured a challenging 2025/26 season, with Slott back in the spotlight after defeat to Manchester United. Three successive Premier League wins, including a 3-2 comeback at Old Trafford, had eased attention to his position, but the doubts have resurfaced, leaving Lineker with serious doubts and his prospects as a manager.
On the latest episode of The Rest Is Football podcast, he told Alan Shearer and Micah Richards: “Will we still have Slott next season? We’ve lost 11 Premier League games and we’ll still be in the Champions League.” “I wouldn’t be surprised if we had Xabi Alonso next season.”
Shearer said: “If you look at it in terms of last season’s results and winning the league, he’s the manager of the season. If you look at the problems and challenges that Liverpool have this year, yes, I think so. If it were my choice, he would be my manager.”
Slott has already decided not to leave the Merseyside club this summer, meaning his departure will be entirely the Reds’ own fault. Despite interest from Ajax, the Dutchman has no plans to leave.
Despite this, Alonso has been tipped for a role at Liverpool since manager Jurgen Klopp announced his intention to leave in January 2024. At that point, he was enjoying a very productive spell at Bayer Leverkusen.
Alonso replaced Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid last summer, but the Spaniard was sacked earlier this year. With all eyes on who will be in charge in the dugout next season, Richards turned the spotlight on the players themselves, directing his criticisms squarely at the four new signings, with Shearer clearly nodding in agreement.
The former Manchester City player said: “I think it’s the contracts that need to be scrutinized. They’re not working.[Alexander]Isak is injured and Wirtz is not at the level that everyone expects. Frimpong is a right-winger and a right-back, but it’s not working.”
Gary Lineker has suggested Xabi Alonso could replace Arne Slott at Liverpool. (Image: The rest is a football podcast)
“(Milos) Kerkes was a shadow of the player he was at Bournemouth. I don’t know if it’s the pressure or the system.
“Liverpool are too slow, too passive and too easy to play against. Usually you think of Liverpool as being aggressive, hard to beat and hard-working, but they are neither of those things, especially under Klopp. I want the manager to give them a chance to turn that around.”
One of the standout figures who embodied Klopp’s team was Mohamed Salah, who is set to leave Anfield as the season draws to a close. He missed the game against United due to injury, but is expected to play in at least one of Liverpool’s remaining three games.
Alexander Isaac and Alisson were also absent on Sunday, but Slott provided an update after the final whistle. He said: “Alison hasn’t trained with us yet so it’s a no-brainer. We hope he’ll be ready next week but we’ll have to see how the week goes. The same goes for Alex. We’re hoping he’ll be back next week.”
