Liverpool are eagerly looking to find the perfect successor to Jurgen Klopp after he leaves the club at the end of the 2023/24 season. However, the Reds have now suffered a major blow in their aspirations to bring back their former midfielder Xabi Alonso in that role.
Liverpool Suffer Xabi Alonso Set-Back As Decision Made
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Fabrizio Romano had reported that Alonso has decided to stay on as the Bayer Leverkusen manager for at least one more season after this one. This comes after Sky Sports Germany also claimed that the Spaniard had communicated his desire to stay on to the Bundesliga club.
Soon after this, Alonso himself confirmed his desire to stay in a press conference and revealed: “I had a good meeting with Bayer Leverkusen and I informed them that I will stay and continue at the club. After lot of talks about my future, I used the break to reflect and make my decision. This is the place to be for me. My job at Bayer is not over. I want to help the club, help the players to develop, the board is great… it’s all fantastic here.
“I’m still young coach but I think this is the best decision for my future. I took my time and I’m sure about that. I’m grateful to Bayer and the board, the players, the fans… I feel that this is the best way, to continue together. I have also informed the players, it’s true. My deadline was this week, it’s matter of respect. Now everything is clear.”
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However, Romano added that there is going to be a release clause that becomes active in the Spaniard’s contract in 2025, which can help any interested party rope in him as their manager. The journalist further adds that both Liverpool and Bayern Munich have been informed of the ex-midfielder’s decision and will probably now look at other candidates to bring in as their new manager at the end of the 23/24 season.
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The Reds have been left in a bit of a sticky situation with this development and will now have to look at other options to take over from Klopp in the summer. Romano also reports that Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim is one of the major names in the club’s list of options when it comes to Klopp’s replacement after watching him guide the Portuguese club to strongly compete for the Liga Portugal championship this year.
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However, Liverpool are likely to be gutted by Alonso’s decision to stay put at Leverkusen for another season. This is because of just how good a job the Spanish coach has done this season, with the German side currently unbeaten in all competitions and charging their way to the Bundesliga title. Alonso has been hailed for being a “standout coach” and “world class player” by Klopp himself earlier this term, but it seems like the Spaniard wants to repay Leverkusen for the trust they have shown in him by staying on for at least another year.
