Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has announced his intention to step down at the end of the season, and Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta may know his potential successor very well.
Former midfielder Xabi Alonso has been linked with the role following an outstanding campaign with Bayer Leverkusen, with Granit Xhaka thriving in his team.
Alonso is relatively inexperienced when it comes to management, but Arteta is perhaps the best-placed person out of anyone to provide insight into his potential appointment at Liverpool.
Arteta himself took the Arsenal job as his first managerial role, and he is someone very familiar with Alonso, given that the pair played together from a very young age.
Mikel Arteta’s previous comments on Xabi Alonso
Arteta previously explained his relationship Alonso back in 2020, when the Arsenal head coach was in his first year of management and the former Spain star was reaching the end of his playing career.
“Since we were 7 or 8 years old, we played together in a club that is from my region in San Sebastian that had a lot of players to be fair, who have become professional, they do an amazing job,” Arteta told Sky Sports.
“I was really lucky to be raised there as well but with Xabi, we played together I think 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, (years of age), and then I went to Barcelona.
“He stayed in San Sebastian, then we were neighbours in Liverpool when he was playing for Liverpool and I was playing for Everton, so this is the beauty of this industry as well, and this world.
“We did part of the preseason together when I signed for Real Sociedad, but then he left. I knew that he was on his way when they signed me.
“It’s always really difficult to know, obviously you could tell that he had something special, but obviously to the level of excellence that he performed, and won absolutely everything in football, it is magnificent, and you just need much more than talent to achieve that.”
How Arteta and Alonso could battle at the top of the table
Arsenal and Liverpool are currently battling each other, as well as Manchester City, at the top of the Premier League.
Whilst Klopp’s departure could hit Liverpool hard, if they do hire Alonso, it will be intriguing to see him do battle with Arteta.
Xhaka has previously compared the two as coaches, as the only player to be managed by both, and highlighted how both are remarkably similar in their approaches and tactical styles.
Arsenal failed to beat Klopp’s Liverpool until Arteta arrived, and the last encounter saw Arsenal create more xG against Liverpool than they have faced against anyone else. Alonso would bring an attacking style from Leverkusen, and the clashes next season would promise to be high-scoring affairs.
Arteta may be best placed to know how to beat Alonso, given their footballing backgrounds, their similar lack of experience before heading into top jobs, and the way both coaches have built previously struggling sides into title contenders.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
