Triple Liverpool signing to kickstart Xabi Alonso reign as contact made amid Arne Slot sack heat

Xabi Alonso will be the centre of attention in the race to replace Arne Slot if Liverpool sack their head coach and there could be some high-profile transfer consequences if he lands the job.

Liverpool have already initiated contact with Alonso, TEAMtalk’s Fraser Fletcher revealed on Monday morning. Their former midfielder is out of work after parting ways with Real Madrid earlier this month, but retains a strong reputation as a coach for his prior work with Bayer Leverkusen.

The pressure on Slot is rising after Liverpool‘s loss to Bournemouth on Saturday served as the latest setback in their faltering title defence.

Odds are shortening rapidly on Slot being the next manager to be sacked in the Premier League, with Alonso a prime candidate to replace him after previously being in the frame to succeed Jurgen Klopp himself.

However, it could well be the case that Alonso only starts work in the summer, implementing his tactics over a full pre-season while Liverpool get to work on transfers behind the scenes.

It might not be as extravagant a summer in the transfer market as it was in 2025 on the back of their Premier League title win, but Liverpool do have some areas they need to sharpen up – and especially if they are to have a new manager to build for.

With that in mind, we’ve taken a look at the first three positions Alonso would likely want to strengthen and which players could do the trick.

Right centre-back (Joel Ordonez)

During his previous stint with Bayer Leverkusen, Alonso favoured a back-three formation. That wasn’t always the case at Real Madrid, but even if he set them up with a back four, a midfielder would often drop in to form a three when building possession.

Numerically, Liverpool already need to add to their centre-back ranks. Virgil van Dijk is in his mid-thirties, Ibrahima Konate is out of contract at the end of the season, Giovanni Leoni has a long-term injury and Joe Gomez has suffered from more than his fair share of setbacks.

If Alonso was to implement a back three, then Liverpool would have to place even more emphasis on strengthening at centre-back in the summer.

First of all, a right-footed option would be necessary to take the place of Konate – and that will be true whether Liverpool play with a back three or a back four.

Moreover, it’s important for Alonso’s defenders to be technically skilled on the ball.

One player who ticks both boxes is Club Brugge’s Joel Ordonez, whose passing accuracy in the Belgian Pro League this season is 91.5%.

TEAMtalk’s Graeme Bailey confirmed in December that Liverpool had checked in with Ordonez’s camp, although subsequent claims in South America that he is already close to joining have been debunked.

The 21-year-old Ecuadorian remains a player of interest, though, and would seemingly be a good fit for Alonso’s tactics.

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Left centre-back (Micky van de Ven)

A left-footed centre-back, meanwhile, remains an obvious hole in Liverpool’s first-team squad. It’s usually not a major issue given how comfortable Van Dijk is on the left of a centre-back pairing, but in a three – and at his age – he may be better suited to playing in the middle.

For balance, that would lead to Liverpool needing a naturally left-footed defender.

They have been linked with Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck, a player Alonso will have become familiar with during his own time in the Bundesliga, as well as an ambitious move for Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni, but rumours persist that a dream target for Liverpool would be the Premier League-proven Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven.

While sources have warned Tottenham value Van de Ven highly, he possesses the pace and ability the regenerate Liverpool’s defence.

Being Dutch, he could also build up a good connection with Van Dijk, who could use his wisdom to equip his compatriot with the skills to succeed at Anfield.

Defensive midfielder (Aurelien Tchouameni)

Liverpool may want to find an upgrade over Cody Gakpo on the left wing if their future is still in a 4-2-3-1 kind of shape, but if Alonso was to revert to a 3-4-2-1, it wouldn’t be as big a priority.

Florian Wirtz has already thrived under Alonso as a central attacking midfielder, while Dominik Szoboszlai has been one of Liverpool’s best players this season and could play in that kind of role, as could Mohamed Salah.

Instead, Liverpool may look to strengthen in Alonso’s own former role of holding midfield, which was somewhere they wanted to add Martin Zubimendi in 2024.

Coincidentally, Zubimendi used to play for Alonso at Real Sociedad. He has since joined Arsenal, but many at Real Madrid regret that they were unable to reunite him with his old boss.

With Zubimendi off the menu, another midfielder Liverpool could revisit historic interest in is Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni.

It must be stressed that recent claims Liverpool are ready to bid heavily for Tchouameni haven’t come from strong sources, but there was a mutual respect between the Frenchman and Alonso during their time working together in the Spanish capital, which could aid any faint hopes Liverpool have of getting their man.

Tchouameni has the traits to be able to drop into defence and help his side build possession, so there’s no wonder he was rated by Alonso.

The question is how far Liverpool’s budget would stretch in the summer and how many major signings are realistic – whether Alonso becomes their next head coach or not.

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