coveted by Liverpool and Bayern, Xabi Alonso remains at Leverkusen

“Last week I had a good meeting with Simon (Rolfes, the sporting director), Fernando (Carlo, the president) and I gave them my decision to continue coaching Bayer Leverkusen,” he said. emphasized Xabi Alonso during his traditional press conference the day before the match, a trip on Saturday (15.30) to the Hoffenheim pitch, for the 27th day of the Bundesliga.

Contrary to usual, the 42-year-old Basque spoke English in the opening remarks, while he always holds his press conferences in Goethe’s language, slightly tinged with a Spanish accent.

Xabi Alonso finished his playing career at Bayern Munich between 2014 and 2017, and has been on the Leverkusen bench since autumn 2022, for his first major experience after coaching Real Madrid’s youth team (2018). /19) and Real Sociedad reserve (2019/22).

“At the moment, I believe that this is the right place for me to continue developing as a coach. I am still a young coach and feel that this is the right place. My job here is not finished yet”, explained the technician who arrived at the banks of the Rhine in October 2022 for an initial contract until the summer of 2024, cleverly extended until the summer of 2023 by Bayer Leverkusen for two seasons until the summer of 2026.

However, this extension did not prevent rumors about his future, with three destinations coming back insistently: Real Madrid, then Liverpool and Bayern, namely the three big clubs where he played between 2004 and 2017.

The surprise announcement last December of a season extension by Carlo Ancelotti, although it was expected to make the Brazilian selection, closed the Madrid door on the Real bench.

Dantesque end of season

A few weeks later, Jürgen Klopp explained that he would end his time on the Liverpool bench at the end of the 2023/24 financial year, and Bayern specified that they would also end their partnership with Thomas Tuchel at the end of the season.

The name of Xabi Alonso was then circulated to take his place on the benches of these two prestigious clubs. Xabi Alonso’s announcement on Friday opens the way for the successor to the coaching position of Liverpool and Bayern.

“He is doing an incredible job there. Leverkusen have a good team and they will probably keep the squad. I understand that he wants to do that,” Klopp responded at a press conference.

Above all, this clarification should allow the club on the outskirts of Cologne to calmly approach the last two most important months in its history, with a first German championship title in store.

Nine days before the end of the Bundesliga season, Leverkusen are ten points clear of Bayern Munich and appear very well on their way to ending the Bavarian decade of hegemony over German football that began in the spring of 2013.

Still unbeaten in 38 games in all competitions this season, Bayer Leverkusen are also involved in the German Cup (semi-final against Fortuna Düsseldorf) and the Europa League (quarter-final against England’s West Ham).

The club, founded in 1904 by the chemist Bayer, has won just two trophies in its 120 years: the UEFA Cup (forerunner of the Europa League) in 1988 and the German Cup in 1993.

This season he can add three lines to this list marked by a series of second places (in the championship in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2011, in the cup in 2002, 2009, 2020 or in the Champions League in 2002), which earns him the very unenviable nicknames Neverkusen or Vizekusen.