Alan Shearer explains 'intriguing' Xabi Alonso dilemma that poses Liverpool problem

England legend Alan Shearer has warned Liverpool they face a battle to appoint top-choice Xabi Alonso as their new manager.

The Reds are searching for a new boss with Jurgen Klopp leaving his role at the end of the season. Klopp has enjoyed a brilliant reign since taking over in 2015, winning the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

The German also has his side battling for the title once again heading into the final 10 games of the season. But Liverpool will have a new man in the dugout from the start of next season.

As it stands, Alonso is the frontrunner having led Bayer Leverkusen to the top of the Bundesliga in a so-far unbeaten season. But while the Spaniard does have strong links to Anfield, Shearer does not believe it will be easy to land him.

“The really intriguing thing is Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Barcelona are looking for a new manager ahead of next season and I don’t think they’re the only big jobs that will become available this summer,” he told The Athletic.

“With the job that Xabi Alonso is doing this season at Bayer Leverkusen, he’ll have a pick of jobs if he wants them. That’s the obvious link that loads of people have already made, given Alonso played for Liverpool.”

Bayern have made no secret of their desire to bring Alonso to the Allianz Arena. Alonso has Leverkusen 10 points ahead of their title rivals and Bayern’s honorary president Uli Hoeness has revealed the giants are ‘working’ on bringing in Alonso.

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Xabi Alonso, Head Coach of Bayer Leverkusen, celebrates following the team’s victory in the Bundesliga match between Sport-Club Freiburg and Bayer 04 Leverkusen at Europa-Park Stadion on March 17, 2024 in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

“He’s [Alonso’s] proven that he can be a coach for the big time. Clubs like Liverpool, Real Madrid, Leverkusen and FC Bayern are working on it,” Hoeness told German news outlet Ran Sport last week.

“There are hardly any coaches who come into question who are currently free, who don’t have a job or who are on sabbatical. It’s not so easy to tell them that FC Bayern is the measure of all things.”

But Leverkusen are keen to keep Alonso, with his contract running for another two years. And Alonso himself has insisted he has no plans to leave the BayArena, with his full focus on Leverkusen’s title push.

“At the moment, I am really happy here. I enjoy my work here and feel that it’s given me a challenge. We are on an intense but beautiful journey here in Leverkusen and I’m trying to give my best to help my players be ready for the next thing,” he said in January.

“To be honest, I am not in that moment, to think about the next step. I am thinking about where I am right now. I think I am in a great place and am enjoying it. I think it’s the right place and all that I can say. What’s going to happen in the future, I don’t know. I don’t really care at the moment.”

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