When it comes to recent Liverpool fan-favourites to entice the unquestionably passionate crowd at Anfield, current Bayern Munich midfielder and former Spanish international – Xabi Alonso – certainly has to be up there.
From winning several important trophies to helping the Reds maintain their lofty position near the top of the league table during his successful time at the club, the Kop faithful have every reason to still admire the 33-year-old – even if he admittedly last played for Liverpool all the way back in 2009.
So then, when news broke of Jurgen Klopp’s reported interest in bringing Alonso back to the Premier League next year, many Reds fans must have greeted the story with a warm smile. Whilst not every nostalgic transfer saga ultimately works out as well as initially planned, it’s hard to not at least humour such a notion among its infant stages if nothing else.
However, as the current star of the Allianz Arena is now fast approaching his last few seasons out on the field for his respective side, so do Liverpool really need to re-sign Xabi Alonso, or was this story simply produced for sensationalised head-line making and very little else?
Well, the answer to the first part of that question would simply have to be, no. Whilst the Spanish World Cup winner certainly remains a great footballer, even in these twilight stages of his career, no Premier League team really needs to sign an ageing star of yesteryear simply based on his past exploits alone. Had Alonso never even played for Liverpool in the first place, Jurgen Klopp certainly wouldn’t be interested in picking up his services right in the here and now.
This also isn’t the first time the Reds have been linked with their former midfield dynamo, so the concept of Liverpool reportedly moving for a 33-year-old former Real Madrid man now, when they are supposedly looking to build for the future, remains truly questionable in the cold light of day.
However, like with most high profile transfer sagas in the modern era, there is ultimately more to this particular story than initially meets the eye. Had the Merseysiders been forced to pay through the nose for Alonso at this stage in the proceedings most would have laughed the idea off immediately without giving it much of a second thought. Yet because the Spaniard could well mark himself down as a free agent in the not too distant future the deal certainly starts to make more sense from a Liverpool supporter’s perspective.
Should the Reds eventually move for their former fan-favourite, Alonso’s obvious lack of pace and manoeuvrability would be more than made up for by the vast amount of experience he would undoubtedly offer within the Liverpool changing room, as well as the notorious calming influence he exudes among any side lucky enough to pick up his services.
The current Bayern Munich man is still an extremely cultured ball-player, his presence just in-front of the defensive back-four has always been effective to say the very least, and as the midfielder already possesses a strong relationship in front of the Anfield faithful, Alonso could help restore some much needed positivity at the club during an unquestionably transitional stages in Liverpool’s recent history.
Yes, someone of his age could never be considered a first team starter for the Reds with all things considered. But would Alonso perform more consistently than the likes of Lucas, Emre Can and Joe Allen among Klopp’s current midfield options? The answer could well be… yes.
All in all, this particular deal could easily take place. If there are no sly financial factors influencing proceedings behind the scenes for both parties, Jurgen Klopp should perhaps make a move for Alonso – even if he only spends one more season at Anfield. In the end, someone of his overall ability and experience would be invaluable to a rather young Liverpool squad right now looking to emulate the successes of players like Alonso once upon a time on Merseyside.
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