Bundesliga
Hoeneß gives hints: Will Alonso stay in Leverkusen?
Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso: A lot to cheer about
© Tom Weller/dpa
Xabi Alonso will probably remain coach at Leverkusen beyond the summer. Statements from both Uli Hoeneß and Liverpool officials indicate this.
Will the most successful coach of the current Bundesliga season stay in the Rhineland and not move to FC Bayern? According to a report, Xabi Alonso will stay at Bayer Leverkusen next season. According to the portal “The Athletic” and also according to information from transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, FC Bayern Munich and Liverpool FC are currently assuming that the most sought-after football coach in Europe is not available this summer and are intensively looking for other options.
Accordingly, the English, who are looking for a successor to outgoing coach Jürgen Klopp, have been aware for a long time that Alonso is unlikely to leave the factory club. ESPN and Sky Sports UK also reported that former Liverpool professional Alonso is no longer on the Reds’ list when looking for a coach.
Hoeneß on Xabi Alonso: “We would like to sign him”
Bavaria’s honorary president Uli Hoeneß also practically ruled out signing Alonso as Thomas Tuchel’s successor in an interview with Bayerischer Rundfunk on Thursday. “We would like to sign him,” said the influential honorary president of the German record champions. But bringing Alonso back would be “very difficult, not to say probably impossible,” emphasized the 72-year-old. He could imagine that Alonso, “the way I got to know him and appreciate him, is more inclined to carry on because he doesn’t want to leave that behind now.”
In Munich, other candidates to succeed Tuchel are Roberto De Zerbi (Brighton & Hove Albion), who Liverpool is also said to have on the list, and Ralf Rangnick (Austria national team). The name of 65-year-old Rangnick, once a coach in Stuttgart, Leipzig and at FC Schalke 04, was also mentioned by the “Kicker” on Thursday evening as Plan B.
First championship title for Leverkusen?
Liverpool are also said to be interested in Ruben Amorim from Sporting Lisbon. Antonio Conte and Zinédine Zidane, who are currently without a club, have also been linked with Munich. Bayern’s sports director Max Eberl didn’t want to commit to a fixed date for the search for a coach at Sky: “It would be nice if we could do it in April. If it takes a little longer, it just takes a little longer.” Eberl did not comment on names.
Xabi Alonso (42) has been head coach at Leverkusen since October 2022. The Spanish world and European champion led his team from the bottom of the table into the Europa League, which is still unbeaten in all competitions this season. Leverkusen is ten points ahead of the Bundesliga and is heading for its first championship title. In the DFB Cup semi-finals, Bayer is favorite against second division team Fortuna Düsseldorf, and in the Europa League they face West Ham United in the quarter-finals.
Sources: “BR24”, “The Athletic”