That’s right, ladies and gents, El Barba Roja himself is set to make a triumphant return to England this summer.
We’ve heard from within the ex-manager’s circle that the former Real Madrid, Liverpool and Bayern Munich player will be taking on the managerial reins at one of the Premier League’s biggest clubs.
Alonso’s Managerial History
Despite his youth (he’s only 44 years old) the Basque native has nearly a decade of coaching under his belt. After hanging up his player’s jersey at the conclusion of the 2017 season, he began working with Real Madrid’s U14 side while also studying for his coaching license. His first managerial stint came in 2019 with Real Sociedad B, who were playing in Spain’s third division. In his second season, he led them to promotion up to Segunda División, but that glamor faded as the team was immediately relegated back down the following year.
Alonso had already announced his departure, but wouldn’t take another role until October 2022. Bayer Leverkusen, a team struggling in the bottom of the Bundesliga, gave him the hotseat. He turned the squad around and kept them up. He then shocked everyone by leading the side to an unbeaten 2023-24 league season, lifting the title, DFB Cup and Supercup and ending Bayern Munich’s domination.
But once again, Alonso’s triumph was cut short by internal tension and disappointment. Leverkusen players were critical of his communication style, and while he was backed by the board for some time, even they grew tired of the poor results on the pitch in the 2024-25 season.
The Real Madrid Saga
Eyebrows raised when he was announced to replace Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid in June 2025. But he got the team through the FIFA Club World qualifying rounds (admittedly with an embarrassing 1-1 draw to Al-Hilal) and all the way to the semi-finals where they were trounced by Paris Saint-Germain 4-nil.
In the crucible of Spanish league soccer, Alonso was doing just fine on the field, even as locker room conflicts were surfacing. His rigid and inflexible leadership chafed with a subset of players who had grown accustomed to Ancelotti’s more laid back style. Vinícius Jr. and Rodrygo were the leaders of this disenchanted group, and it ultimately led to a divided training room with nearly half the team pro-Alonso, the other half fiercely anti-.
Ultimately, the board sacked Alonso in January after losing the Supercopa final 3-2 to Barcelona. In his 233 games in charge he had 24W, 6D, 4L and a +34 goal differential. All solid statistics, but ultimately he failed because of personnel management, not game dynamics.
Liverpool or Manchester City?
We have confirmation that Alonso has been in discussions with both Liverpool and Manchester City for a summer return. Pep Guardiola’s departure from City has been rumored for some time, and we recently reported that Arne Slot’s tenure is unlikely to continue even if he steers the Reds into the Champions League and possibly a FA Cup trophy lift.
One thing has been made perfectly clear to both camps: he will be bringing his coaching team along with him. This is reputedly non-negotiable.
We understand that his former club Liverpool is Alonso’s first choice. There were even whispers that he was under consideration for the position in 2024 after Klopp’s departure. But Manchester City is a hard team to say “no” to, and either would be a good fit for him.
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