Arne Slot's Liverpool successor: How Andoni Iraola compares to Xabi Alonso, Sebastian Hoeness, Pierre Sage

The particulate has hardly settled astatine Anfield pursuing the dismissal of Arne Slot, yet the contention to win him is already 1 of the astir compelling managerial stories of the summer, with 4 names dominating the speech but lone 1 of them looks definite to onshore the job.

When Liverpool released their connection confirming the departure of Arne Slot connected Saturday, the connection was warm, measured and laced with genuine appreciation. The club's authoritative connection praised the Dutchman's enactment ethic, diligence and expertise, crediting him with delivering Liverpool's 20th league rubric successful his precise archetypal play successful charge. 

The warmth of tone, however, could not disguise the brutality of the decision.

A £450 cardinal transportation walk past summertime brought successful large signings, yet the results simply ne'er came, with the Reds enduring a miserable run from adjacent the precise start. 

A troubled Premier League rubric defence, overshadowed by the decease of Diogo Jota and featuring 19 defeats successful each competitions, yet convinced the hierarchy astatine Anfield that alteration was necessary. 

The Dutchman departs lone a twelvemonth aft starring the Reds to their 20th league title, pursuing a disappointing fifth-placed decorativeness successful his 2nd season.

The succession question has present taken centre stage, 4 candidates person defined the aboriginal narrative: Andoni Iraola, the wide frontrunner; Xabi Alonso, the romanticist prime with a complication attached; Sebastian Hoeness, the Bundesliga builder; and Pierre Sage, the French shot revelation. 

Here, Sports Mole examines each man's credentials and what they correspond for a nine that has not yet decided what benignant of aboriginal it wants.

Andoni Iraola: The frontrunner with a constituent to prove

No sanction has dominated the post-Slot speech rather similar that of Andoni Iraola. Liverpool person already identified the Spaniard arsenic their preferred successor, with writer Fabrizio Romano confirming that negotiations volition determination guardant rapidly and that the determination has been made. 

The transportation is not coincidental. When Iraola was appointed Bournemouth's caput manager successful the summertime of 2023, the men successful suits included Richard Hughes, present Liverpool's sporting manager and it was Hughes who identified and secured the Basque manager for the south-coast club.

That pre-existing spot is cardinal to knowing wherefore Iraola leads the race, but his candidacy rests connected acold much than a idiosyncratic relationship.

Iraola spent 3 seasons astatine Bournemouth, finishing 12th, ninth and past sixth successful the Premier League, the second earning the nine a spot successful the Europa League for the archetypal clip successful their history. That upward trajectory, achieved with considerably much humble resources than those disposable astatine Anfield, speaks to a manager susceptible of consistent, progressive improvement. 

His last play astatine the Vitality Stadium was peculiarly impressive, pursuing the departure of starring goalscorer Antoine Semenyo successful January, Bournemouth simply refused to lose, going 18 games unbeaten and becoming extraordinarily hard to interruption down.

The stylistic entreaty is arsenic significant. Liverpool consciousness the team's playing benignant needs to germinate to a much aggressive, front-foot approach, and that imaginativeness increases the likelihood of Iraola, renowned for precisely that benignant of shot being appointed. 

He impressed with high-intensity, attacking shot astatine Bournemouth, and could beryllium the perfect manager to unlock the sizeable imaginable of Liverpool's existent squad. The Reds invested successful top-quality attackers during the summertime of 2025, but Slot ne'er genuinely managed to get the champion retired of them.

There are, however, morganatic questions. His deficiency of acquisition managing an elite nine and constricted vulnerability to the UEFA Champions League could beryllium a concern, peculiarly fixed that Liverpool indispensable vie astatine the highest level of European shot from time 1 adjacent season.

Managing expectations astatine Bournemouth is simply a vastly antithetic proposition to managing egos, a superstar dressing country and a fanbase that demands silverware not progress.

None of that appears to person deterred FSG. Liverpool person reportedly already decided connected its adjacent manager, with Iraola claimed to person been lined up. 

He led Bournemouth to a sixth-place decorativeness successful 2025-26, with his broadside inactive successful the moving to bushed Liverpool to Champions League qualification heading into the last crippled of the season. Marco Rose has been confirmed arsenic his successor connected the southbound coast and the way is clear, but the question is whether Anfield is acceptable for what Iraola demands.

Xabi Alonso: The imagination that went elsewhere

For months, the communicative of Liverpool's managerial aboriginal was inextricable from the communicative of Xabi Alonso, and helium was reported to beryllium Liverpool's starring campaigner to regenerate Jurgen Klopp successful 2024 earlier choosing Madrid implicit the Reds and Bayern Munich. 

When Real Madrid sacked him successful January 2026, conscionable 7 months into his tenure, pursuing a 3-2 Super Cup decision to Barcelona, having won 20 of his 28 games, the footballing satellite assumed the roadworthy to Anfield was present open.

The consequent months told a much analyzable story. According to BILD Sport, Alonso was unfastened to a instrumentality to Anfield but did not privation different acquisition similar his little stint astatine Real Madrid, and would importune connected having greater power implicit squad planning. 

Simultaneously, The Athletic's David Ornstein revealed that Alonso was simply "not connected the agenda" for FSG, puncturing months of speculation and romanticist conjecture.

Then came the decisive twist. Following confirmation that Alonso had signed a four-year declaration with Chelsea, the betting marketplace for the Liverpool occupation was wholly turned connected its head, with his determination to Stamford Bridge clearing the mode for a caller frontrunner to look astatine Anfield.

Alonso's coaching pedigree remains beyond question, his departure from Madrid arrived conscionable 8 months aft rejoining the Bernabeu from Bayer Leverkusen, wherever helium had secured the Bundesliga title, the German Cup and the German Super Cup during a singular unbeaten campaign. 

He besides guided Leverkusen to the Europa League final, his contented astatine Real Madrid appeared not to beryllium tactical but cultural, helium would not let high-profile players specified arsenic Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior to dictate matters astatine the club, that is simply a quality, not a flaw.

But for Liverpool, the Alonso communicative is present a footnote alternatively than a headline, the section that erstwhile seemed inevitable was written elsewhere.

Sebastian Hoeness: The Bundesliga builder

Of the remaining candidates connected Liverpool's shortlist, Sebastian Hoeness is possibly the astir underappreciated successful English shot circles. 

Since taking implicit VfB Stuttgart successful April 2023, the 44-year-old has transformed the nine from relegation certainties into Champions League regulars, that is simply a translation of genuinely singular proportions, achieved without the fiscal firepower that accompanies a presumption astatine 1 of Europe's elite clubs.

In the 2023-24 season, Hoeness guided Stuttgart to a second-place decorativeness successful the Bundesliga, famously edging retired Bayern Munich connected the last time - his trophy furniture besides includes the 2025 DFB-Pokal, which was Stuttgart's archetypal large silverware since 2007. 

He has won 84 of his 152 matches successful complaint of Stuttgart crossed each competitions and has overseen the emergence of highly-rated midfielder Angelo Stiller, who has been linked with a determination to Liverpool. 

In 2025-26, Stuttgart finished 4th successful the Bundesliga, reached the DFB-Pokal Final and progressed to the circular of 16 successful the Europa League.

His players talk of him successful the highest imaginable terms. Striker Ermedin Demirovic has described him arsenic the champion manager helium has ever worked under, adding that neither helium nor his team-mates could envisage moving nether anyone better. 

Hoeness is besides often drawn comparisons to Klopp for his high-energy, man-management approach, a prime Liverpool supporters volition worth fixed the affectional detachment that came to specify the last stages of Slot's tenure.

There is, however, a important obstacle, Hoeness is contracted to Stuttgart until 2028, and the Swabian nine volition apt combat hard to clasp him. 

In an interrogation with the German work Kicker, Hoeness himself declared that helium is "fully committed to VfB" and wants to proceed being arsenic palmy arsenic possible, that is not the connection of a antheral hopeless to permission and pursuing him would necessitate some important compensation and sizeable persuasion.

Should negotiations with Iraola stall, Hoeness would correspond an outstanding assignment - his illustration mirrors precisely the qualities Liverpool present accidental they require, but the structural obstacles whitethorn beryllium prohibitive.

Pierre Sage: The Ligue 1 revelation

Of each the names to person emerged successful transportation with the Liverpool vacancy, Pierre Sage is unquestionably the astir astonishing and possibly the astir fascinating. 

If Sage is chartless successful English terms, past helium was hardly a superstar successful France either, astatine slightest not until delivering a singular play with Lens successful 2025-26. The 47-year-old held lone 2 jobs earlier taking implicit arsenic Lens brag past summer, 1 with lower-league broadside Chambery successful his aboriginal 30s, and the 2nd astatine Lyon, whom helium managed from November 2023 to January 2025, turning Les Gones from relegation candidates to European finishers and cupful finalists.

At Lens, Sage has exceeded adjacent those standards, his second-place Ligue 1 decorativeness was the club's champion since 1998, and helium past recorded a portion of past by delivering the nine their archetypal ever Coupe de France title. That was capable to spot him deservedly named Ligue 1 Coach of the Year up of Luis Enrique. 

According to The Athletic's David Ornstein, Liverpool are acceptable to unfastened talks with Sage should they neglect to prosecute Iraola.

Sage's involvement successful the relation is unambiguous - speaking connected Telefoot, helium confirmed that Liverpool is the nine that makes him dream. "This nine represents truthful much, it's a spot similar Lens successful its values," helium said. 

His preferred 3-4-2-1 strategy would peculiarly suit existent Liverpool additions specified arsenic Jeremie Frimpong and imaginable signings similar Adam Wharton, who thrived nether Oliver Glasner successful a comparable structure.

Yet acquisition remains a genuine vulnerability successful his candidacy. Sage has overseen conscionable 109 games arsenic a manager successful total, managing successful the Champions League, navigating a £450 cardinal squad and gathering the play expectations of 1 of the world's astir scrutinised protagonist bases would correspond an bonzer leap, adjacent by his ain standards.

His assignment would beryllium a gamble with a precocious ceiling and a precise existent floor.

The verdict - Andoni Iraola

Liverpool person been explicit astir the absorption they privation to travel: a much aggressive, proactive, front-foot benignant of play that demands carnal strength and tactical cohesion. Of the 3 remaining realistic candidates, Iraola embodies that imaginativeness astir completely. 

His Premier League experience, his pre-existing narration with the sporting manager and his grounds of steady, upward progression marque him the logical choice.

Hoeness is the astir tactically rounded of the radical and has proven helium tin physique cultures from scratch, but his contractual concern astatine Stuttgart and his evident contentment successful Germany marque an attack complicated. 

Sage is the astir compelling semipermanent sanction successful the group, but the timing feels premature.

Iraola is the outstanding candidate, and though FSG volition spell done a ceremonial process, insiders consciousness the determination has already been made.

Liverpool person spent the amended portion of a play trying to person themselves that Arne Slot could beryllium the reply - the answer, it turns out, whitethorn person been managing conscionable a fewer hours down the motorway each along.