Xabi Alonso discarded by top club, talks broken off
Since being exonerated by Real Madrid, Xabi Alonso has been approached by several clubs: immediately there was talk of Liverpool, then Manchester United and even Tottenham. English media have also reported that some Manchester City executives have contacted Xabi Alonso’s entourage to sound the ground as a possible heir to Pep Guardiola: it seems that the Catalan will say goodbye to the Citizens at the end of the season.
According to the BBC, Manchester City intermediaries have reportedly had a few informal talks with Xabi Alonso’s entourage but in the last few hours it seems that the club has decided to accelerate for Enzo Maresca: he is now the main candidate to replace Pep Guardiola. The Italian coach grew up with the Catalan coach and Manchester City wants to give continuity to the project, which is why signing Maresca could be the most logical move.
For Xabi Alonso, however, the Liverpool option remains: the English champions spent big last summer but the results are below expectations and the management is not satisfied with Arne Slot. The Dutch coach no longer enjoys the total trust of the English management and could be replaced in the summer: Xabi Alonso is the first candidate. The Spaniard has a special bond with the Reds and the memory of the Champions League won in 2005 at the end of an epic final is still vivid in the minds of English fans.
Interviewed by As, former Real Madrid great Fernando Morientes was particularly critical of Xabi Alonso’s experience at the helm of Real Madrid: “I don’t know if they were unfair to Xabi but he should explain what he was promised, what they told him and what the project was. I think they were unfair with that very project. A project comes about when the company chooses a person as its leader and consciously decides to entrust him or her with the responsibility. In this case that person was Xabi. That is why I think it was unfair to make him the sole and main person responsible for the whole season”.
