Liverpool 'resigned to missing out on top managerial candidate'
The current Bayer Leverkusen boss and former Reds midfielder — a Champions League winner with Liverpool in 2005 — has long been regarded as the first choice to replace Jurgen Klopp at Anfield.
It has been just over two months since Klopp publicly announced that he would be leaving his position as head coach at the end of the season after nine years at the helm, sending shockwaves across the footballing landscape.
The Liverpool hierarchy were made aware of Klopp's plans towards the end of 2023, and Fenway Sports Group's search for a successor is expected to ramp up now that matters upstairs have been taken care of.
The American owners persuaded Michael Edwards to rejoin as FSG's CEO of Football, not long before Liverpool hired Richard Hughes as their new sporting director, and finding a new first-team manager is the next item on the agenda.
Alonso to stay at LeverkusenHowever, despite the expectation that Alonso could be lured back to Merseyside, The Times reports that the Reds no longer anticipate appointing the in-demand Spaniard as their new head coach.
Instead, Alonso has supposedly decided to remain with Bayer Leverkusen, who are on the cusp of winning the 2023-24 Bundesliga title as they sit 10 points clear of Bayern Munich at the top of the standings.
Leverkusen have always been confident of retaining Alonso's services for at least one more season amid interest from other European giants, including Barcelona and two more of his former clubs in Bayern and Real Madrid.
As a result, the report claims that Alonso is «unlikely» to be named on Liverpool's shortlist of prospective managers to
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