Rumours Of A Xabi Alonso Return To Liverpool - Would It Be A Good Transfer?

 There have been a lot of rumours in the press and plenty of hopeful conversations between Liverpool fans about the potential return to the club of Xabi Alonso from Real Madrid. How much truth there is in these stories is debatable, but never the less it’s an interesting thought and worth having a look at in a bit more depth.

 Would Xabi Alonso fit into how we currently play? Without a doubt yes, the three central midfielder set-up is pretty much made for a player like Alonso, and the movement and pace of Suarez, Sturridge and Sterling is ideal for a player with his ability to slide a pass through. Having two players alongside him would also help Alonso with his defensive duties, he’s a good holding midfielder but in that aspect of his game he’s never been as good as Didi Hamman or Javier Mascherano. Alonso would be as perfect a fit as you can get into our current XI.

 What effect would Alonso have on our younger players? I’m actually not too sure about this one. In Joe Allen, Jordan Henderson and Jonjo Shelvey we have three young players with plenty of potential who would learn a lot from the more experienced Spaniard. But would it make it harder for them finding another player blocking their path to regular first team football? What would be more beneficial to their long term development, learning from a master or playing more regular football? I think that’s a question people far more qualified than me would have to answer. Personally I think with Steven Gerrard’s advancing years another experienced head would be more than welcome in such a key area of the pitch.

 Would bringing Alonso back help our dressing room? From all I can gather Xabi was a popular member of our squad during his time here and I have no doubts having him around would be good for team spirit. He also has a winning mentality and his unwillingness to accept defeat could rub off on others.

 Would the fans welcome him back? Well, yes, of course we would, he was a fantastic player for us for the majority of his stay on Merseyside. He scored some great goals and starred in some big wins for us, we’d love to have him back.

 How would he fit into our current transfer policy and wage structure? To put it bluntly, he wouldn’t. FSG’s actions have made it quite clear that signing younger players who will retain their value is regarded as more of a priority than recruiting senior players who command higher salaries and will see their resale value drop as they get closer to the end of their careers. Real Madrid are the richest club in the world and I think it’s safe to assume when they spend £30million on a player they give him a salary to match. We’re not in the Champions League and we’re not ready yet to be handing out Champions League wages, if he wanted to return I expect he would have to take a significant wage cut, which brings me to the next question.

 Does the player want to return? The stories are that he’s not happy at Real Madrid, and his contract has a little over a year left, leaving the player in a good position to negotiate his own future. As I’ve mentioned, he would have to take a cut in pay to return to Anfield but he’s always struck me as the kind who plays for the love of the game and isn’t motivated solely by money. I think he’d happily come back but if another club offered him silly money I’m sure he’d have to give that serious consideration. Also if a top club from Italy or Germany offered him the chance to try a league he hasn’t experienced yet I think he could be tempted.

 So, overall would it be a good move re-signing the popular playmaker? From a purely footballing point of view he would be a great signing, but with the financial fair play rules coming ever closer it’s just as important that the money men feel comfortable with the deal. I wouldn’t really expect the transfer to happen unless the fee is pretty low and the player is happy to be earning less than he was when he was last at the club, but I wouldn’t completely rule out the possibility of seeing Xabi Alonso in a Liverpool shirt again.