Xabi Alonso has explained why he decided to stay at Bayer Leverkusen after turning down Liverpool and Bayern Munich’s move.
The former Real Madrid player has claimed it was a good decision to stay at Bayer Leverkusen after being linked with Bayern and Liverpool.
Former Spain midfielder Alonso had been strongly linked with the managerial position at Anfield following Jurgen Klopp’s decision to leave the club at the end of the season.
The 42-year-old could also have taken the vacate position at Bayern Munich this summer, with Thomas Tuchel set to depart at the end of the current campaign.
In addition, there was potentially a chance for Xabi Alonso to return to Real Madrid at some stage to replace Carlo Ancelotti.
However, Alonso announced on Friday, March 29 that he will be staying at Bayer Leverkusen, who are on track to win the German Bundesliga title for the first time in club history.
Meanwhile, football pundit, Richard Keys accused Alonso of bottling the chance but the former Liverpool star believes he still has time to make the gigantic move.
Speaking about his decision to stay at Bayer, Alonso said; “I tried to respect everyone. I tried to take my own decisions, tired that they are the right ones and now I feel like this is the right one to keep in this club and keep improving and developing”.
“This is my first season as a coach in a pro team, the first season is complete so I think I still have time to try things”.
He added; “At the moment it feels right to be here. I’m really happy. The club is great. The fans are great. The players are unbelievable, for so many reasons”.
After commencing his coaching career by taking charge of Real Sociedad’s B team, Alonso stepped up to first-team management with Bayer Leverkusen in October 2022.
The German outfit finished sixth in the Bundesliga last season and they are now on track to win the title having gone unbeaten in the league so far this season, winning 23 of their 27 matches.
They extended their lead at the top of the table to 13 points after a late 2-1 comeback win against Hoffenheim on Saturday, March 30.
Leverkusen are also in the quarter-finals of the Europa League where they will face West Ham on April 11, 2024.
Liverpool, on the other hand, could turn their attention to Sporting manager Ruben Amorim or Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi following Alonso’s decision to stay at Leverkusen.
