We’ve all read a rumour or six about Xabi Alonso over the past few months, and it seems as if every couple of weeks a different source publishes a new report claiming that a deal bringing the Spanish international back to Liverpool is ‘imminent’.
The Mirror printed some vague claims about Alonso last week, following on from The Express‘ equally unsubstantiated bluster in March.
Be very careful about being taken in by this stuff, because it has all the hallmarks of being a big tease. There’s never anything solid in these reports, it’s always just conjecture based on a rumoured list of players which Brendan Rodgers might pursue in the Summer, and on destinations Alonso is likely to favour should he decide to leave Real Madrid.
It’s all very speculative.
I know that this rumour has been around for a while, and subsequently that might appear to lend it some gravitas, but it’s equally plausible that this is just a player/club link which does a roaring online trade and is being brought out repeatedly to spike online revenue.
Without trying to be a killjoy, it’s worth pointing out how flawed the logic is at the heart of this – even on a hypothetical basis. If Alonso was to leave Madrid, which given his contractual situation seems possible, then think about how many clubs would pursue him. Even at 31, this an elite European midfielder who has won everything there is to win in the game – he would be able to take his pick from some very illustrious and affluent clubs.
The intangible here is the player’s fondness for Liverpool, but how far does that really stretch, and how similar is the club to the one he left four years ago? There’s no Rafael Benitez, there’s no prime-era Steven Gerrard, and there’s no Champions League football. What would he be gaining by coming back? And could Liverpool even afford to employ him if he was willing?
I’d love this to happen, because Alonso was and still would be an asset to the Premier League, but it’s difficult to make a reasonable case for it.
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