Jamie Carragher has warned Liverpool that they could regret allowing Xabi Alonso to join Chelsea, as reports link the former Reds midfielder with the Stamford Bridge job. Alonso, who left Real Madrid earlier this year, has been identified as a potential candidate to replace the dismissed Liam Rosenior at Chelsea.
Speaking on Monday Night Football, Carragher expressed concern that Alonso's move to a Premier League rival would make it difficult for him to later manage Liverpool. 'I always felt Xabi would manage Liverpool at some stage,' Carragher said. 'Now, I think once you manage one of Liverpool's rivals, as Chelsea are, I think it makes it a little bit more difficult.'
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has faced criticism this season as the team labours towards a top-five finish, with 11 league defeats and a trophy-less campaign. Saturday's 1-1 draw with Chelsea was met with boos from the Anfield crowd. Despite this, the club has reportedly backed Slot, with Alonso's talks with Chelsea suggesting Liverpool are not pursuing a change.
Carragher added: 'What tells you they've made their decision on Slot is that there's talks between Xabi Alonso and Chelsea. If there was an inkling that Liverpool were interested in him or that they were gonna change the manager, I think he would go to Liverpool.'
Meanwhile, Joe Cole has backed Mohamed Salah's recent comments about maintaining standards at Anfield. Salah, who will leave Liverpool this summer, faced pushback from Slot after his remarks. Cole said: 'Salah is well within his rights to have an opinion on the team. He's been there for so long. Mo's a good guy, I'm sure his comments were coming from a good place to help Liverpool.'
