They remind him of his mistake, Alonso talks about Caicedo and Liverpool

Liverpool will certainly not consider the appointment of Xabi Alonso a done deal. It may well still be doing due diligence on a variety of candidates but even if the club’s heart is set on him as the number one option, it will be aware there are no guarantees of bringing him to Anfield.

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There is that nagging doubt that this is almost approaching Jude Bellingham territory, where the Liverpool fanbase develops a fervent admiration for someone as yet unattached to the club. The exact same outcome is still theoretically possible, with Real Madrid another of Alonso’s former clubs that would likely prove attractive, although Carlo Ancelotti did recently sign a contract extension.

A bigger threat could come from Bayern Munich. Completing the triumvirate of European giants with whom Alonso has a history, it will surely be losing patience with Thomas Tuchel, in which case Liverpool could have a battle on its hands. Perhaps more than anything else, Liverpool might worry that Alonso could choose to stay at Bayer Leverkusen for a little longer. This, after all, is his first full season, and he would be leaving behind the prospect of a maiden Champions League campaign with the squad he has assembled.

Hopefully, the lure of the Liverpool job and the honor of taking over from Jürgen Klopp will trump all of these alternative possibilities. But while there might be a nagging worry on that front, it’s hard to imagine anyone in the FSG corridors of power losing any sleep over a potential threat from Chelsea. The Blues were a persistent thorn in Liverpool’s side last summer, first winning the race for Moisés Caicedo and then signing Roméo Lavia too. But the idea that Chelsea could put up any real resistance now in the fight for a player or a manager is vaguely absurd.

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Change on the road

Both sides went into the summer off a bad season although that meant fifth for Liverpool, and 12th for Chelsea. Even then, Caicedo looked like he was making a mistake, although buying into the Boehly project was not completely incomprehensible. But if Chelsea is foolish enough to think it can tempt Alonso, it will underline to Caicedo just how big a mistake he made. He would surely pick Liverpool without even a moment’s hesitation; if there is to be competition for the game’s most exciting manager, it will not come from Stamford Bridge.