Former Liverpool and Bayern Munich star Xabi Alonso will not be taking the manager’s job at either club, having confirmed he will remain at Bayer Leverkusen next season.
Xabi Alonso may regret his decision to stay at Bayer Leverkusen amid interest from Liverpool, according to former England star Paul Marson.
Alonso, 42, is on course to win his first Bundesliga title with Leverkusen. The league leaders are 10 points clear with just eight matches remaining, and can still win the DFB-Pokal and Europa League after going the entire season unbeaten so far.
Leverkusen’s form this season, as well as their climb up the Bundesliga table last term, have seen Alonso become hot property. His former clubs Liverpool and Bayern Munich have both been linked, with both preparing to make a change in the dugout at the end of the season.
Alonso has confirmed he’s going nowhere, though, after talks with Leverkusen’s higher-ups convinced him he was in the right place to continue his development. Merson fears for the former Spain international, though, pointing out how quickly things can change in the world of management.
“You’ve got to make hay while the sun shines in management, and you’re talking about two of the biggest jobs in world football,” Merson said on Sky Sports (via The Echo). “They might never come again.
“I don’t see Bayer Leverkusen winning the league again next year, I think Bayern the juggernaut will continue where they’ve been the last 10 years. I’m shocked. I can understand he’s probably happy what he’s doing, he’s getting great accolades and rightly so, but these come along once in a blue moon.
“I just hope he doesn’t regret this. I know what management’s like, everyone gets the sack in the end. They’re two of the biggest jobs in the world of football.”
Liverpool will still need to make a new appointment, with Jurgen Klopp set to leave at the end of the season. With Alonso out of the running, Ruben Amorim and Roberto De Zerbi have been tipped for the role, while Klopp himself responded to Alonso’s decision.
“Xabi is doing a great job there and it’s possible they can keep the team together,” the former Borussia Dortmund boss said. “It’s not always like that. I understand he wants to do that.
“Leverkusen are really impressive, it’s not like he has built from other years. He has created a mentality that is on the pitch and is really special. You can’t say for former players it might be too late or too early – I don’t know.”
Leverkusen are at home to Hoffenheim on Saturday, and go into the game knowing that they need a maximum of 15 points from their final eight games to claim the title. A cup semi-final against Fortuna Dusseldorf follows on April 3, while they have been drawn against West Ham United in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
Liverpool are also still alive in the same European competition, and will take on Atalanta in the same round. With Liverpool and Leverkusen in opposite halves of the draw, they could yet meet in the final in Dublin on May 22.
