Xabi Alonso: Odds slashed again for him to be new Liverpool manager amid Arne Slot latest

Xabi Alonso’s position as the favourite to take charge of Liverpool this summer has been strengthened further amid intensifying pressure on Arne Slot.

The Spaniard is available after leaving Real Madrid in January, and is considered the obvious choice for decision-makers at Anfield, who showed previous interest in the former Liverpool midfielder.

Slot’s job remains his, for now, but four losses in the last five games across all competitions have placed him under increasing scrutiny.

Sunday will see his side take on Everton in the Merseyside derby, in a game that could well be key to his future.

Liverpool’s next manager will need to pick up an unconfident and injury-hit squad after an incredibly disappointing season.

Xabi Alonso leads Liverpool race

Football Insider exclusively revealed this month that Liverpool have accepted that Slot may have to be sacked amid a toxic atmosphere developing at Anfield.

The Dutchman had been a hero in Liverpool just last year after lifting the Premier League title in his first season in charge, but he now cuts a very unpopular figure.

Fall-out from the December situation, which has ultimately resulted in Mohamed Salah’s summer exit, is just one of several grievances fans have had against Slot.

And that is not to even mention the football, which has been dire for much of the campaign.

While Liverpool remain fifth, it is only the fact that Chelsea have suffered an even more dramatic collapse keeping them there.

Should the Reds be beaten by Everton, their Merseyside rivals will come within two points of them. Slot’s fate would surely be sealed if the Toffees finish above Liverpool for the first time in 13 years.

At the end of March, one major bookmaker had Alonso’s odds of replacing the Dutchman at 1/2, with those odds now slashed even further to 2/7.

Alonso has already hinted at Liverpool intention

Alonso had looked certain to replace Jurgen Klopp when it was announced that he would be stepping down in 2024.

The Spaniard was coming off the back of an unbeaten Bundesliga season with Bayer Leverkusen and looked the ideal candidate.

He ultimately decided to spend one more season with the German side, however, and moved to Real Madrid last summer.

Alonso lost just six games of 34 in charge of the Spanish giants, but they were big losses, and the 44-year-old was dismissed.

“There is a bond with English clubs and for sure with my former club [Liverpool],” he said in December, when asked if he plans to return to the Premier League.

“But at the moment, this is my place, this is where I want to be, and in the future, you never know what could happen.”

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