Xabi Alonso had Arsenal agreement as loyalty to Liverpool was questioned

Rafael Benitez has shared a fascinating insight into how Xabi Alonso was on the brink of moving to Arsenal.

The former Liverpool captain who is nothing short of a legend at Anfield after his memorable Champions League win in 2005, nearly didn't have his entire Reds career. Instead, he could've been gracing the Emirates Stadium with his sublime talent.

Alonso's stint at Liverpool, which lasted until 2009 before he made switches to footballing giants Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, almost saw an earlier Premier League swap. It was a potential move that had more than just transfer ramifications; it even influenced team selection during crucial matches due to concerns about cup-tying.

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On an episode of the Stick to Football podcast, Benitez revealed: "Xabi Alonso is a very good player, a very clever person, and someone that is right. When we went for Gareth Barry, it was because he could play in three different positions and then we needed to sell. Xabi had an agreement; he was talking with one club and had an agreement."

He also recounted the selection dilemma he faced when Alonso came close to tying himself to a different future: "The year after, we played Standard de Liege for a Champions League qualifier and we had Javier Mascherano and Lucas Leiva in the Olympic Games, Steven Gerrard had a lower back problem, so we had to play [Damien] Plessis and Xabi. Xabi had an agreement with Arsenal and didn't want to get cup tied.", reports the Mirror .

"I told Jamie Carragher and Gerrard before the game that he had an agreement and doesn't want to play, but he must because it is the most important game to qualify for the Champions League. Then when you were going out for the warm-ups, you said, 'Poor Xabi.' Not poor Xabi, he is playing for our club at this time. During the season he was our best player and didn't go to Arsenal because he had to play [for us].".

"We played against Lazio in our last pre-season friendly and the fans were clapping for Xabi, but he was going to Arsenal, the fans loved him."

Earlier this year, there were rumours of Alonso making a dramatic return to Anfield as a coach when the Bayer Leverkusen boss was identified as a potential replacement for the departing Jurgen Klopp .