Xabi Alonso hints at Liverpool return with Arne Slot facing sack pressure | Football | Sport

Xabi Alonso has left the door open for a potential Liverpool return after admitting he would relish a comeback to the Premier League and recognising his connection with his former side. The former Reds midfielder finds himself under intense scrutiny at Real Madrid, just seven months after taking the reins in the Spanish capital. His position could become a key talking point should Los Blancos fall to Manchester City in Wednesday’s showdown at the Bernabeu.

Real Madrid have secured just two wins from their previous six matches across all competitions and endured a shock home defeat to Celta Vigo on Sunday, with Alonso struggling to earn the respect of a powerful dressing room. With veteran players questioning his methods, Alonso is already fighting to maintain his standing at Real Madrid. During his pre-match media briefing before the City fixture, he faced a barrage of enquiries regarding the club’s present troubles.

Alonso departed Liverpool as a player in 2009 but was heavily linked with the manager’s job when Jurgen Klopp stepped aside in 2024, though he eventually opted to stay with Bayer Leverkusen.

Nevertheless, with Arne Slot now also under the microscope following a disappointing period, Alonso confirmed his appetite for Premier League management in the future.

“Of course there is a bond with my former club, but for now this is my place,” Alonso said. “In the future, you never know what might happen.”

Alonso was also quizzed about Mohamed Salah‘s bombshell interview on Saturday evening after Liverpool’s game against Leeds United, where the Egyptian claimed the club was ‘throwing him under the bus’ and teased a potential January exit.

Salah has been left out of the Champions League squad for Liverpool’s upcoming clash with Inter Milan, but Alonso remained coy when pressed on the matter.

“This decision has been made in Liverpool, I’m sure we’re missing many details of what is going on. I don’t need to say anything about it,” he declared.

Such questions may have offered Alonso some relief from the relentless grilling about his own future and his rapport with both the hierarchy and squad.

Alonso was at his most forthright when asked whether he felt supported by his players, delivering a simple “yes”.

On his conversations with Real Madrid supremo Florentino Perez and the board, he remarked: “Communication is constant, we have unity, we are all together in this, I have a good relationship with them.”