Cashing In at the Right Time or One Season Too Early?
Alexis Mac Allister’s name being linked with Real Madrid should raise eyebrows, not because of the destination, but because of the timing. Twelve months left on his contract. Entering his 28th year. A summer surgery that quietly derailed his rhythm. This is no longer the Mac Allister of the World Cup or the metronomic controller who once made Liverpool’s midfield feel calm, intelligent, and inevitable.
There has been a visible drop-off. Not catastrophic. Not embarrassing. But unmistakable. The sharpness in tight spaces has dulled, the tempo-setting moments arrive later, and the physical demands of the Premier League are now clearly asking more of him than his body is consistently giving. That surgery matters. Midfielders who rely on rhythm and balance don’t always recover cleanly when their base is disrupted.
From Liverpool’s perspective, this is exactly the kind of inflexion point Michael Edwards has historically acted upon and bought for roughly £35m. World Cup pedigree added. Peak reputation intact. Real Madrid sniffing around. With only a year remaining on his deal, this summer represents the optimal exit window — not because Mac Allister has failed, but because the squad is moving into a different physical and tactical phase.
Liverpool cannot afford to let another high-value asset run down or decline quietly. If the club can double their investment now, it would be classic Edwards-era logic rather than sentiment.
🚨 𝗡𝗘𝗪: In the past, Carlo Ancelotti asked Real Madrid to sign Alexis Mac Allister. No deal was explored, but the club received positive feedback.
He is well-liked, and his contract until 2028 might make a deal more feasible if they make a move.
— @MarioCortegana pic.twitter.com/hPT3Nol5Wb
— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) February 4, 2026
Regeneration, Not Regression, in a Changing System
If we accept the growing inevitability of Xabi Alonso’s arrival, then this conversation becomes less emotional and far more structural. Alonso does not build midfielders around passive controllers. His system demands legs, duel-winners, second-ball monsters, and players who can transition instantly from regain to progression.
That is where Mac Allister’s profile begins to feel misaligned with what comes next.
Liverpool’s midfield evolution should not be about replacing technique — it should be about rebalancing it. A double pivot under Alonso would thrive with a physically dominant ball-winner paired with a cleaner distributor, rather than asking one player to do everything at a declining level of athleticism.
The links to Adam Wharton make sense in that context. Younger. More robust. More mobile. Add someone like Elliott Anderson alongside him — ferocious, intelligent, relentless — and suddenly you recreate something Liverpool have sorely lacked since Fabinho, Henderson, and Wijnaldum aged out together. Bite. Coverage. Control through confrontation rather than possession alone.
That platform would free others. Dominik Szoboszlai, for example, becomes far more valuable as a right-sided wing-back who can invert, arrive late, and overload central areas without being responsible for defensive balance. Florian Wirtz benefits from protection behind him. The backline breathes easier. And Liverpool finally gained a system designed to dismantle low blocks rather than stall against them.
None of this diminishes what Mac Allister has given the club. He was crucial in stabilising chaos. But squads, like cycles, must move forward before decline becomes unavoidable.
If Real Madrid is circling, Liverpool should not hesitate. This is not about loss. It is about timing, evolution, and ensuring the next midfield defines the next era — not clings to the last one.
