Xabi Alonso tipped to replace Arne Slot as Liverpool boss — 'Definitely'

Former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Emmanuel Petit believes Xabi Alonso could succeed Arne Slot as Liverpool manager this summer due to the Spaniard's Anfield legacy

Arne Slot and Xabi Alonso speak after Liverpool faced Bayer Leverkusen at Anfield in last season's Champions League(Image: Getty Images)

Former Arsenal and Chelsea player Emmanuel Petit has backed Xabi Alonso to take over from Arne Slot as Liverpool manager, claiming that his Anfield legacy is too significant to overlook.

Slot clinched the Premier League title by a 10-point margin in his debut season in Merseyside, but his second term has proven more challenging, with his champions suffering 10 defeats and now battling for Champions League qualification.

Alonso, who departed Real Madrid in January, made a name for himself as one of Europe's rising managerial talents during his tenure at Bayer Leverkusen. There, he secured the club's first-ever Bundesliga title in an unbeaten 2024 campaign.

Petit feels that Alonso's brief stint at Real Madrid shouldn't overly influence perceptions of the 2005 Champions League winner's managerial prowess.

He believes that Alonso's five-year spell at Anfield makes him the perfect candidate to succeed Slot, should the latter be dismissed at the end of the season.

"When you go against the players in the [Real Madrid] dressing room, then the trouble starts," Petit told BetGoat. "It was the case for Xabi Alonso. He had a fight with so many players, especially Vinicius Junior. Vinicius was not even starting in the first XI.

Alonso is being tipped to take the Liverpool job if Slot departs(Image: Getty Images)

"Xabi Alonso is a legend at [Liverpool], and I think in terms of personality, his vision for football, the way he has managed Leverkusen, I don't talk about Real Madrid for the reasons I've said previously, but yeah, [at Liverpool] that would be something interesting.

"I think this is part of the new generation of managers who have been great players, but they are doing very well in terms of management. So sooner or later, I think his name will be back on the table at Liverpool.

"Yeah, definitely, because he played many years there. He won trophies there. So he has left a legacy there as a player. I think I can understand why the fans want him to come back to the club and be the manager. Yeah, definitely."

While securing a top-five spot in the Premier League should guarantee Champions League participation next term, Saturday's 2-1 loss at Brighton leaves the fifth-placed Reds merely three points clear of eighth-placed Everton. The city rivals will clash for the first time at Hill Dickinson Stadium next month (April 18), but before that fixture, Liverpool has two crucial cup encounters ahead.

Following the international break, Slot's team travels to Manchester City for an FA Cup quarterfinal, before squaring up against Paris Saint-Germain over two legs in the Champions League.

Petit, a World Cup victor with France in 1998, commented: "When you have a quick look at Liverpool's schedule until the end of the season, they play against Manchester United, Chelsea and Aston Villa all in the last few games of the season, which could decide the spots for the Champions League.

"So, if they can manage to win the FA Cup trophy and qualify for the Champions League, that would be a decent season for Liverpool, honestly. After winning a trophy last season, I think the supporters would be very happy because it's been a very difficult season so far.

"But winning a trophy and qualifying for the Champions League, that would be something the fans would be happy with.

"You cannot win the Premier League every single season, that's impossible. So, if you can win trophies every single season, I think the fans will be happy with that."