No Salah, Konate in Liverpool XI to be chosen by Alonso if he replaces Slot before next season…
It is looking increasingly likely that a perfect storm could result in Arne Slot’s demise at Liverpool, who could finally bring in their first-choice replacement for Jurgen Klopp.
The 2025/26 campaign has been a chastening season for everyone involved at Liverpool, who have made a weak attempt at defending their Premier League crown.
This is due to a multitude of factors, including the lasting impact of Diogo Jota’s sad passing, a misjudged £400m-plus squad overhaul in the summer, and the stark declines in form suffered by many of their key players.
Therefore, head coach Slot is clearly not wholly to blame for their current predicament, but he has certainly contributed to it with his poor decision-making, having taken last season’s champions from a formidable outfit to a team that’s terrified of being attacked and toothless going forward.
Liverpool’s supporters are often the last to turn on the manager, but this process is already well underway; a large portion of the home crowd has grown tired of his approach as their uninspiring unbeaten run is failing to paper over the cracks.
And Slot’s position is weakened further by the sudden availability of former Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso, who is widely acknowledged to have been their priority replacement for Klopp in 2024.
READ: Arne Slot a ‘human blobfish’ in charge of ‘stultifyingly bobbins’ Liverpool
Despite having a turbulent six months at Real Madrid, Alonso appears to have escaped relatively unscathed and may have the pick of whichever Premier League club he wants to join in the summer, with this inevitably going to be Liverpool.
So, assuming Alonso does replace Slot ahead of next season, how could Liverpool shape up under the Spaniard during the 2026/27 campaign?
Well, given that he often utilised a 3-4-2-1 formation at Bayer Leverkusen (and a couple of his former players are at Liverpool), we suspect he will lean on this set-up at Anfield, and Alisson Becker would continue to pick himself as their No.1 goalkeeper.
This Liverpool side has many faults, but Alisson is not one of them, and despite the recent signing of Giorgi Mamardashvili, the veteran goalkeeper is likely to have one more year as Liverpool’s first-choice.
The same can be said for Virgil van Dijk, who should be at the heart of a new-look back three for Liverpool next season.
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With Ibrahima Konate still ‘some way’ from a contract extension, Liverpool being unable to rely on injury-prone Joe Gomez and Marc Guehi opting for a move to Manchester City, Alonso and co. would need to get back to the drawing board for another centre-back solution in the summer.
Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck, who reportedly is valued at £60m, has been said to be the main alternative to Guehi and would fit in seamlessly as the left-sider in a back three.
To the right of Schlotterbeck and Van Dijk, youngster Giovanni Leoni, who is due to be fit for the start of next season, stands out as the obvious choice. His sole appearance this season provided a sign of what the 19-year-old is capable of, provided his injury does not derail him too much.
Full-back has been a problem position for Liverpool this season as Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez have had their issues, but they are far more suited to the wing-back role and would perhaps be the biggest beneficiaries of Alonso’s potential appointment.
In midfield, Ryan Gravenberch needs to continue in the deeper position, but he could be given a new partner as Alexis Mac Allister’s sudden decline leaves him at serious risk of being upgraded, especially considering Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton can reportedly be bought for £65m by a Champions League club this summer.
This would be a tad harsh on Mac Allister as he was brilliant for Liverpool before this season, but Wharton is the overall package and the opportunity to sign him for £65m should not be overlooked.
Further forward, there will be no room for Salah as he does not fit into this system (unless he’s used as a makeshift No.9), and a move to the Saudi Pro League or elsewhere in the summer feels pretty inevitable following his conflict with Slot and other key figures.
Instead, Florian Wirtz, who is really starting to show why he was bought for £116m, and Dominik Szoboszlai, Liverpool’s player of the season by some distance, are ideal fits for the No.10 spots, while Alexander Isak, despite his self-inflicted poor debut season, is still likely to end up ahead of Hugo Ekitike as the club’s starting striker once he builds momentum.
