Liverpool Turn to Alonso as Slot's Future Hangs in Balance Amid Board Uncertainty

The crisis at Anfield is deepening. Liverpool have made an approach to Xabi Alonso about the possibility of taking the reins from Arne Slot, with the club's hierarchy preparing to convene and address the mounting problems at the club.

It's been a nightmarish season by the standards expected at Liverpool. The Reds surrendered their Premier League crown this term and now find themselves a staggering 21 points adrift of the summit after Saturday's defeat to Brighton—their tenth league loss of the campaign. Last season they finished ten points clear of Arsenal; this year's collapse has been nothing short of catastrophic.

According to reports from an X account run by five prominent football journalists with 708,000 followers, Liverpool's ownership and football operations team will convene on Tuesday to assess the situation. Their agenda includes approaching Alonso, who has been away from management following his spell at Real Madrid, to gauge whether he might be persuaded to return immediately rather than wait for the summer.

The board's thinking on Steven Gerrard as a short-term solution remains divided. Bringing in the Liverpool legend as a caretaker until the end of the season is being considered, though convincing certain club officials to back such a move would prove challenging.

Champions League qualification now hangs by a thread. While Liverpool retain hopes of silverware through their continued involvement in both the Champions League and FA Cup, their league position threatens to lock them out of European football's premier competition entirely.

Former midfielder Jermaine Pennant believes the club will ultimately bide their time. Speaking to BetFIRST, he suggested that if Slot fails to secure Champions League qualification through league position, he won't keep his job—though the axe may not fall immediately.

"There's massive pressure," Pennant said. "Liverpool don't boo after games. Or they do it very, very, very rarely. If you put in a good performance and lose, they will clap you off. But the boos are just getting louder and louder."

He described the current campaign as "a miserable defence of the title," arguing that for a team that won the Premier League just twelve months ago, the standard has become "abysmal."

Pennant stressed that responsibility sits with multiple parties. "The manager, the buck falls with him. He selects the players. He has to motivate the players. He chooses the tactics," he explained. "But on the flip side of that, the players have got to go out there and take accountability as well."

The former Red emphasised that Slot cannot be held solely accountable for what unfolds on the pitch. "Arne Slot is not kicking the ball. Arne Slot is not defending. Arne Slot is not running around," he noted. "The players have got to take responsibility, and the manager as well."

Ultimately, Pennant believes the current malaise stems from a collective failure. "If they're both not doing that, then ultimately that's a recipe for disaster. And the proof is in the pudding of where Liverpool are right now because of it."