Xabi Alonso, manager of Bayer Leverkusen, looks on during the Bundesliga game against Freiburg at the Europa-Park Stadium in Freiburg, Germany, March 17, 2024. /CFP
Xabi Alonso, manager of Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen and one of the top targets for recruitment among Europe's leading clubs, confirmed on Friday that he will stay at BayArena.
"It has been a season with a lot of speculation regarding my future," Alonso said at a news conference. "I wanted to use the international break to reflect a little bit better and to take a decision. Last week, I had a good meeting with Simon [Rolfes, Leverkusen's sporting director], with Fernando [Carro, the club's CEO], when I informed them of my decision to continue being coach of Bayer Leverkusen."
"For sure all the decisions, you need to analyze well, and I tried to take the right ones," he added. "I tried to take the ones that come in a natural way, and at this moment I feel this is the right place for me to be to develop as a coach. I am a young coach, but I have to feel it, and right now I feel that this is the right place."
Xabi Alonso (R), manager of Leverkusen, talks to his player Florian Wirtz after the 3-2 Bundesliga win over Freiburg at the Europa-Park Stadium in Freiburg, Germany, March 17, 2024. /CFP
Leverkusen, who are currently leading the German top flight with 70 points, 10 above Bayern Munich in second place after 26 games, are very close to winning their first Bundesliga title in franchise history. They have allowed only 18 goals, the second-fewest of all five leading clubs in the Bundesliga, Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1, not to mention that Leverkusen remain the only undefeated one of them.
The clubs speculated to be most interested in recruiting Alonso were two of his former employers during his playing career: Liverpool and Bayern. However, both expressed their will to give up for now on Thursday.
"It's a process; the development of the team is parallel with my development as a manager," Alonso said. "This is my first complete season as a manager. I still have a lot of things to prove myself, to experience, and right now I have a situation in the club where I feel really stable, really happy with the team and the club."
Leverkusen will host Hoffenheim in their next Bundesliga game on Saturday before facing Dusseldorf in the DFB-Pokal semifinal on April 3 and playing against West Ham United in the first-leg game of the UEFA Europa League quarterfinals on April 11.