Surprise turnaround for Xabi Alonso

“The most courted coach in the world.” It is with these words that Bild summed up the situation of Xabi Alonso. At 43, the Spaniard is the coach of the moment. It must be said that he is doing a very good job for Bayer Leverkusen. A club he led to the top of the Bundesliga last season. In the process, the best teams of the Old Continent looked into his case, notably Liverpool and Bayern Munich. Two clubs which were looking for a new strong man following the departures of Jürgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel. In addition, Real Madrid, where Florentino Pérez appreciates him a lot, has been cited as a possible base.

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Ultimately, the former midfielder did not sit on any of these benches. After a series that lasted weeks, even months, Xabi Alonso played the loyalty card and continued to move forward hand in hand with Leverkusen. He had made the news official in person, just to dot the “i”. “There's been a lot of talk about my future over the last few weeks. We had a lot of matches, a lot of objectives and we had to focus on our matches. During this break, I had something to think about and I had time. I made my decision, last week, I had a good discussion with my managers. I told them that I will continue to be the coach of this team next season.

Leverkusen was pessimistic in October

He later added: “I tried to make the right decision, I made the most natural decision, I think this is the time to be here as a young coach, this is my place. I feel like this is the right place for me. The club supports me and respects me. The fans are showing me a lot of love this season and even in the tough times last season. My job here is not finished. I’m happy here.” While we thought this file was closed for a little while, Sky Germany made new revelations about the future of the technician in October. The German publication indicated that Bayer Leverkusen was already preparing for the departure of the coach under contract until 2026.

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The club had not received positive signals from him, which confirmed a departure for the summer of 2025. Thus, the German team had already launched the search for his successor and the name of Sebastian Hoeneß was quickly out of the hat. Two months later, the German press takes stock of this issue. During the weekend, the general director of B04, Fernando Carro, said about it: “we assume he will stay. There are no other signals or signs. We have a very close and trusting relationship with him, his family and his agent. His contract lasts another year and a half. This Tuesday, Bild reveals further information on the Xabi Alonso case.

Xabi Alonso left to stay in 2025?

Thus, we learn that the relations between the coach and his club are very good. Fernando Carro calls the coach's agent, Inaki Ibanez, several times a month. Another positive point for Leverkusen, Alonso's family feels very good in Düsseldorf, where the children go to school. All these little things had also tipped the scales towards Bayer Leverkusen in March 2024, when the former Liverpool player was being courted by European giants. In 2025, the residents of the BayArena still have their chances. Especially since Xabi Alonso is very involved in future projects. “As usual, he is involved in all processes and planning, even beyond the season”to Fernando Carro.

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Thus, Alonso has a say in the transfer window and extensions. He also appreciated the recent extension of Piero Hincapie (22 years old). He also looks favorably on the possible extension of Florian Wirtz (21), on whom he is counting a lot. Bild therefore indicates that Bayer Leverkusen are very optimistic that he will remain on the club's bench next season. The German media, however, specifies that “only Real Madrid is considered a serious threat to the club. If the Merengues were to go on the offensive, the Bundesliga team will advance its pawns to recruit Sebastian Hoeneß (42 years old) . Continued in the next episode…