When Liverpool’s new sporting director Richard Hughes acquired a telephone name from the agent Inaki Ibanez this week, it solely served to substantiate what he had lengthy since anticipated: Xabi Alonso could be staying at Bayer Leverkusen this summer time.
Information of Alonso committing his future to the Bundesliga membership on Friday was a blow for supporters hoping to see the Spaniard employed as Jurgen Klopp’s successor.
Nonetheless, internally at Liverpool, there was little sense of shock. That they had began focusing their consideration on various candidates.
Hughes has a robust relationship with Ibanez having appointed one other one in all his shoppers, Andoni Iraola, as Bournemouth supervisor in June 2023. There had been dialogue between them so Liverpool knew the place issues stood.
Alonso was the clear favorite to take over from Klopp because of his work at Leverkusen, who he has led to the brink of the Bundesliga title, and his emotional bond with Liverpool from his taking part in days beneath Rafael Benitez. He ticked a variety of containers.
However he was by no means supplied the job and there have been no face-to-face discussions. When Liverpool initially made contact with Alonso’s camp shortly after Klopp’s announcement on January 26 that he supposed to step down in Could, they have been knowledgeable that the 42-year-old was concentrating on his job at Leverkusen and was unlikely to be accessible this summer time. The door was not utterly closed however the message was clear: this was not the time to speak.
A line of communication was saved open between Alonso’s camp and Liverpool because the membership was going via an off-field restructuring, with Hughes arriving beneath Michael Edwards, who was appointed as house owners Fenway Sports activities Group’s new soccer chief govt on March 12. Liverpool wished their management group in place earlier than making an attempt to take issues any additional with Alonso.
One other one of many Spaniard’s former golf equipment, Bayern Munich, have been additionally in pursuit as they sought a successor for Thomas Tuchel and the membership had a number of communications with Alonso’s camp. However his head was not turned by them both — regardless of being promised vital energy when it comes to reshaping the squad.
As for Liverpool, Edwards and Hughes wished to make sure that their intelligence that Alonso could be remaining at Leverkusen was appropriate. They have been eager to know if it might be value assembly him to gauge his ideas across the Liverpool undertaking however finally — regardless of options in Germany {that a} summit was deliberate for the worldwide break — it by no means occurred.
It fell to Bayern’s honorary president Uli Hoeness to supply the primary public indication on Thursday that the sport was up, a minimum of from Bayern’s perspective.
“It is going to be troublesome, if not in all probability unimaginable (to nominate Alonso),” he stated. “He’s extra inclined to remain at Bayer Leverkusen in view of their present successes as a result of he wouldn’t need to go away them behind. Let’s say if he had two or three extra years of success, it might in all probability be simpler to carry him out of there.”
So why has Alonso opted to remain at Leverkusen and the place do Liverpool go from right here? We have now spoken to a number of sources straight and not directly linked to the golf equipment and the important thing figures concerned to construct up an image. They requested to stay nameless to guard their relationships.
Fernando Carro sounded adamant. “Xabi has a contract till 2026 and there’s no doubt that he’ll keep right here,” insisted Leverkusen’s chief govt on March 19, when requested about his supervisor’s future. His confidence proved to be well-founded.
Throughout a gathering with Carro and sporting director Simon Rolfes final week, Alonso knowledgeable them that he would flip down curiosity from elsewhere and stay loyal to Leverkusen. He defined that he was excited in regards to the prospect of unlocking additional potential within the squad and main them within the Champions League subsequent season.
Rolfes was unsurprised: he had all the time felt assured that Alonso would stay supplied Actual Madrid didn’t unexpectedly categorical an curiosity in hiring him this summer time.
Alonso, who had spent the early a part of the worldwide break contemplating his future, felt the time was proper to make his choice public when he addressed the media on Friday earlier than Saturday’s Bundesliga sport in opposition to Hoffenheim. He wished to place a cease to the hypothesis and supply some readability.
“My job just isn’t over right here,” Alonso stated. “Placing every part collectively, I’ve taken this necessary choice. I’m satisfied it’s the suitable one.
“That is my first full season as a supervisor. I nonetheless have a variety of issues to show and to expertise. Proper now, I’ve a state of affairs the place I really feel actually secure and joyful. That is the suitable place for me to develop as a coach.”
It’s a huge name taking your self out of rivalry for the Liverpool and Bayern Munich jobs. What if Leverkusen don’t hit the identical heights subsequent season and Alonso’s inventory falls? There are not any ensures that these alternatives will come alongside once more quickly.
These closest to Alonso, nonetheless, insist it’s completely consistent with his character. They level to the truth that he turned down the possibility to handle Bundesliga outfit Borussia Monchengladbach in 2021 to be able to keep answerable for Actual Sociedad’s B group.
Alonso just isn’t a person in a rush and won’t make the subsequent step in his profession till he believes he has gained adequate expertise. He solely took over at Leverkusen in October 2022 and believes he’s nonetheless studying his commerce. The truth that he has but to handle within the Champions League is one other issue for him.
It isn’t that Alonso lacks self-belief, however extra that he’s self-aware and appreciates his limitations. Cash was by no means going to return into the equation for him. He doesn’t want it having banked a fortune throughout his taking part in profession so he can afford to go at his personal tempo.
This has been a characteristic of Alonso’s managerial profession. Those that labored with Alonso at Sociedad say he was initially hesitant about managing their B group as he didn’t have an enormous curiosity within the different areas of the job past teaching and was joyful main a quiet life in San Sebastian.
He had taken some persuading to simply accept the job at Leverkusen however was swayed by the profile of their squad, the expectations of the membership and with the ability to work away from the highlight.
There was a college of thought amongst some employees at Liverpool that, if Leverkusen gained the Bundesliga, Alonso may resolve he couldn’t prime that and transfer on. However the membership have been by no means given any false hope by his camp.
Klopp carried out his media duties on Friday shortly after Alonso’s announcement and stated he may relate to the choice he has taken.
“Being a younger supervisor at a membership doing very well, I had an analogous state of affairs,” Klopp stated. “I did just about the identical and by no means regretted it. He’s doing an unbelievable job there. Leverkusen have group and they’ll in all probability maintain their group collectively. That’s potential this 12 months. Not yearly is like that. I perceive why he needs to do this (keep).”
Actual Madrid have been a potential curveball. Alonso gained La Liga and the Champions League throughout his 5 seasons on the Bernabeu after leaving Liverpool in 2009 and is seen as a potential successor to Carlo Ancelotti, whose contract runs till 2026.
Actual Madrid CEO Jose Angel Sanchez regards Alonso extremely and plenty of on the membership – together with Ancelotti – see him as somebody who may work nicely with the membership’s technology of kids, though president Florentino Perez is much less satisfied he’s fairly prepared for the step up.
There was no contact between Actual Madrid and Alonso just lately and his choice to remain at Leverkusen for a minimum of yet one more season just isn’t linked to any curiosity from the Spanish giants. Alonso has additionally been talked about as a potential successor to Pep Guardiola at Manchester Metropolis.
So the place do Liverpool flip now?
Senior Anfield figures insist it was by no means a case of the job merely being Alonso’s if he wished it. That they had saved an open thoughts and wished to conduct a rigorous course of to evaluate the deserves of a number of candidates.
That began when Klopp knowledgeable the house owners of his plans in November and was then stepped up after the supervisor’s public announcement two months in the past.
The search — masterminded by Hughes, with enter from Edwards — has been data-led to ascertain who may very well be match stylistically. Character and background checks have been made as a part of the due diligence to ascertain who has the suitable character to comply with in Klopp’s footsteps. Speak behind the scenes has centred on suitability and availability with dialogue with a lot of brokers.
Alonso in all probability would have emerged because the strongest candidate if he had been , with even Klopp championing his credentials final month.
“The subsequent technology is already there and I’d say Xabi is the stand-out in that division,” Klopp stated. “A former world-class participant, clearly teaching household as nicely which helps a bit bit. He was like a coach already when he was taking part in. The soccer he’s taking part in, the groups he units up, the transfers he did — it was completely distinctive.”
Liverpool at the moment are within the technique of drawing up a shortlist. Sporting’s Ruben Amorim is beneath severe consideration. The 39-year-old is extremely regarded having ended Sporting’s 19-year look ahead to the Portuguese title in 2021, and matches FSG’s profile of what they worth in managers. His attacking model of soccer is seen as being of an analogous fashion to that established beneath Klopp.
Sporting are a degree away from rivals Benfica as they chase one other league title beneath Amorim. His launch clause may finally be round €10million — decrease than among the figures beforehand reported.
Brighton & Hove Albion supervisor Roberto De Zerbi and Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann — who each scored nicely on Liverpool’s preliminary knowledge analysis — have been mentioned.
De Zerbi’s facet haven’t constantly hit the heights of final season however there’s an appreciation that he misplaced his two finest gamers with the gross sales of Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool and Moises Caicedo to Chelsea final summer time. Nonetheless, his outspoken nature, and confrontational strategy to participant recruitment, may rely in opposition to him.
Nagelsmann, who’s teaching Germany at this summer time’s European Championships, has been out of membership soccer since being sacked by Bayern Munich in March 2023.
Simone Inzaghi at Inter is thought to be an outsider. The Serie A membership don’t need to lose him and never with the ability to converse English could be a difficulty for him if he moved to the Premier League. Thiago Motta, who has over-achieved at Bologna, has been mentioned, though he has been linked with a potential transfer to Juventus.
GO DEEPER
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Lille supervisor Paulo Fonseca, who’s out of contract in the summertime, is well-regarded and Tuchel continues to be accessible, though whether or not Edwards and Hughes would need one other huge title and character to comply with Klopp is unclear.
Thomas Frank additionally has his admirers courtesy of his work at Brentford, whose fashion of play beneath the Dane is similar to Klopp’s Liverpool beneath Klopp, though transferring to Anfield would signify a serious step up.
With two trophies nonetheless to play for through the run-in, Liverpool are unlikely to make any official appointment earlier than the curtain comes down on Klopp’s reign. They’re cautious of inflicting upheaval to a different membership throughout such a pivotal interval.
However behind the scenes, Hughes will know that the clock is ticking as he helps form the longer term course.
For now, that future doesn’t contain Alonso.
Further reporting: Simon Hughes, Oliver Kay, Raphael Honigstein, Guillermo Rai, Mario Cortegana Santos
(High photograph: Tom Weller/image alliance through Getty Photographs)