Benitez to blame for Alonso’s Liverpool exit?
Is Rafael Benitez ultimately to blame for Xabi Alonso’s exit from Liverpool Football Club.
Last summer the Reds manager was actively looking to offload the Spanish playmaker, as he wanted to add Aston Villa’s Gareth Barry to his squad as a replacement.
Barry eventually stayed in the Midlands, meaning Alonso also remained at his club, but this summer the former Real Sociedad star has returned to La Liga in a £30million switch to Real Madrid.
There is no doubt that the 27-year-old will be missed and many fans were furious to see him be sold, but the player has revealed it was difficult to stay after what happened last summer.
"After five years I have experienced wonderful nights at Anfield, to have experienced the support of probably the best fans in the world,” Alonso told Sky Sports News.
"Last summer the club proposed me that I might have to be sold to find funds for new players. It was a difficult decision or difficult moment to accept that.
“I accepted that as a professional and that moment probably changed my mind and I thought that maybe from that moment that maybe it was time for a change."