Former Arsenal and Chelsea star Emmanuel Petit has tipped Xabi Alonso to succeed Arne Slot as Liverpool boss - insisting his Anfield legacy cannot be ignored.
Slot won the Premier League by 10 points in his first season on Merseyside but has found things more difficult in his second campaign, with his champions suffering 10 losses to leave them fighting it out for Champions League qualification.
Alonso, who left Real Madrid in January, established himself as one of the emerging coaches in European football during his time at Bayer Leverkusen, where he won a first-ever Bundesliga title while going unbeaten across the entire campaign in 2024.
Petit believes the Spaniard's short spell at Real Madrid should not hold too much sway when it comes to the 2005 Champions League winner's reputation as a manager and thinks his five years at Anfield means he is an ideal successor for Slot, should he be relieved of his duties at the end of the campaign.
"When you go against the players in the [Real Madrid] dressing room, then the trouble starts," Petit told BetGoat. "It was the case for Xabi Alonso. He had a fight with so many players, especially Vinicius Junior. Vinicius was not even starting in the first XI.
"Xabi Alonso is a legend at [Liverpool] and I think in terms of personality, his vision for football, the way he has managed Leverkusen, I don't talk about Real Madrid for the reasons I've said previously, but yeah, [at Liverpool] that would be something interesting. .
"I think this is part of the new generation of managers who have been great players, but they are doing very well in terms of management.
"So sooner or later, I think his name will be back on the table at Liverpool. Yeah, definitely, because he played many years there. He won trophies there.
"So he has left a legacy there as a player. I think I can understand why the fans want him to come back to the club and be the manager. Yeah, definitely."
While a top-five finish in the Premier League is likely to be enough to secure a place in next season's Champions League, their 2-1 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday means the fifth-placed Reds are now just three points above eighth-placed Everton.
The Merseyside rivals will meet for the first time at Hill Dickinson Stadium next month (April 19) but before then Liverpool face two massive cup clashes.
Slot's side head to Manchester City for a FA Cup quarter-final tie after the international break before taking on holders Paris Saint-Germain across two legs in the Champions League.
And Petit, a World Cup winner with France in 1998,. added: "When you have a quick look at Liverpool’s schedule until the end of the season, they play against Manchester United, Chelsea and Aston Villa all in the last few games of the season, which could decide the spots for the Champions League.
"So, if they can manage to win the FA Cup trophy and qualify for the Champions League, that would be a decent season for Liverpool, honestly.
"After winning a trophy last season, I think the supporters would be very happy because it's been a very difficult season so far.
"But winning a trophy and qualifying for the Champions League, that would be something the fans would be happy with.
"You cannot win the Premier League every single season, that's impossible. So, if you can win trophies every single season, I think the fans will be happy with that."
