Xabi Alonso says he’ll stay on as manager of Bayer Leverkusen for the upcoming campaign because he feels it’s the “right place” for a young coach to be.
From the time Jurgen Klopp said he will step down as manager of Liverpool at the end of the current campaign, the Spaniard has been strongly connected to the position.
“I am convinced it is the right decision, I am happy,” Alonso remarked.
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With a perfect record across the board this season, Leverkusen is poised to win their first Bundesliga championship.
The 42-year-old former midfielder for Liverpool, Bayern Munich, whose manager Thomas Tuchel is also leaving at the end of the season, was also considered as a potential successor to Alonso.
Alonso claimed to have told the Leverkusen board of directors last week that he intended to remain a member of the team.
“We have had a lot of speculation regarding my future,” he stated. “Up until now, we’ve played a lot of games, been quite busy, and I wanted to take the international break to think things through and make a choice.
“The players’ dedication, passion, and hunger for a successful season offered me a lot of reasons to remain optimistic about the club. Here, my work is not done.
Alonso, who joined Liverpool in 2004 after leaving Real Sociedad, went on to play 210 games for the team and win the Champions League in 2005.
He moved to Real Madrid in 2009, a team with whom he has recently been associated, and then he transferred to Bayern five years later. He retired from professional football in 2017.
“It wouldn’t be correct of me to talk about other clubs when they are in this situation,” Alonso responded when asked about interest from two of his previous clubs. I have a deep connection to some clubs as I used to play there. I respect them as a result.
[I am] convinced. At Bayer Leverkusen, I am in the ideal location, and I want to keep developing along with the team and the players.
“We’ve done enough speculating. I want to have fun wherever I go, and right now I’m having fun in Leverkusen.”
In 2018, Alonso began coaching Real Madrid’s Under-14 team. He then managed Real Sociedad’s B team for three years.
Leverkusen awarded him his first first-team coaching position in October 2022. After taking over with the team in second place in the Bundesliga, Alonso guided them to sixth place.
With eight games left, Leverkusen, in his first full season as manager, leads champions Bayern by ten points.
Additionally, they are in the quarterfinals of the Europa League and the German Cup semi-finals.
