Alisson's Future at Liverpool: Iraola's First Major Decision
Andoni Iraola has not even signed on the line at Liverpool yet, but his first major decision is already looming large: what to do with Alisson Becker.
The incoming head coach is expected to hold immediate, decisive talks with the Brazilian goalkeeper to establish whether he will stay at Anfield beyond the summer, with Juventus circling and the player ready to push for the exit.
Slot out, Iraola in – and a new power axis
Arne Slot believed he had the full backing of the Liverpool hierarchy heading into next season. He had, after all, delivered the club’s 20th Premier League title in his first campaign, banking enormous credit and goodwill.
It wasn’t enough.
An end-of-season review led by Fenway Sports Group, with chief executive Michael Edwards and sporting director Richard Hughes at the forefront, ended with Slot being sacked on Saturday. The collapse in form and mood during his second season proved too much to ignore. Crucially, he lost the fans. Once that bond snapped, the decision from above followed.
Liverpool have now accelerated talks with Iraola and want his appointment wrapped up before the World Cup kicks off on June 11. Hughes knows exactly what he is getting: he was the man who brought the Basque coach to Bournemouth in July 2023 and has remained an admirer.
That familiarity will matter in the coming days, because one of the club’s biggest assets is already halfway out the door.
Alisson ready to tell Iraola: my Liverpool career is over
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Alisson plans to tell Iraola directly that he considers his Liverpool chapter finished. Juventus, who have been tracking the situation closely, see Slot’s dismissal as a fresh opening to prise him away from Anfield.
The Italian report claims Alisson has reached an agreement in principle with Juve over a three-year deal, with an option for a fourth season. For now, Liverpool have blocked his departure, holding their line as they try to keep some stability in a dressing room braced for upheaval.
That stance, though, is not set in stone. It will be tested in those first conversations between Iraola, Hughes and the player.
If Iraola decides to build around Giorgi Mamardashvili as his No 1, or insists on bringing in a different first-choice goalkeeper, the door for Alisson to finally join Juventus could swing open.
The pressure will not just come from Turin. It will come from the player himself.
Liverpool’s dilemma: leadership drain vs a clean break
Liverpool know exactly what is at stake. Alisson is not just an elite goalkeeper; he is part of the spine that has defined an era. And that spine is already splintering.
Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson are both heading for the exit this summer. Ibrahima Konaté has confirmed he will leave on a free transfer after contract talks collapsed. Removing Alisson from that group would strip yet more leadership, experience and personality from a squad undergoing a brutal reset.
This is why the club’s first instinct has been to refuse Juventus’ advances. They do not want to lose another pillar at the same time as they reshape the attack and the back line.
But Alisson is pushing. He does not want to walk into a battle for minutes with Mamardashvili or any other incoming keeper. At 31, he wants guarantees. Juventus are offering exactly that: the undisputed No 1 shirt and a central role in their next cycle.
If Iraola cannot promise him the same, the argument for a clean break grows louder.
Verbruggen on the radar as Salah successor hunt intensifies
Liverpool have not waited for the dust to settle before planning for life after Alisson. On May 15, it emerged that Brighton & Hove Albion’s Bart Verbruggen has been identified as a serious option to succeed the Brazilian.
Verbruggen, highly rated for his composure and distribution, fits the profile of a long-term project in goal. His name sits high on a list drawn up as Liverpool brace for the possibility that they will have to cash in on one of their greatest modern signings.
At the same time, the club are pushing hard to secure their preferred replacement for Salah, a task that would be daunting even in a stable window. Instead, they are trying to reshape their attack while potentially changing the man who has underpinned their defensive structure for years.
That is the landscape Iraola walks into: a title-winning squad being ripped apart and rebuilt in real time, with Alisson’s future the first major fault line.
One meeting between coach and goalkeeper will not decide the entire direction of Liverpool’s summer. But it may tell us whether this is a controlled evolution – or the start of a full-scale revolution at Anfield.
