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Bayer Leverkusen chief likens Xabi Alonso situation to Arsenal star after snubbing Liverpool

LEVERKUSEN, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 25: Headcoach Xabi Alonso of Bayer 04 Leverkusen poses during the team presentation at  on September 25, 2024 in Leverkusen, Germany.
-Credit: (Image: Photo by Jörg Schüler/Bayer 04 Leverkusen via Getty Images)


Arne Slot has made a fantastic start to life as head coach of Liverpool, winning six of his first seven matches in all competitions. Yet in a parallel universe, former Reds midfielder Xabi Alonso might have been leading the club this season.

Once he had pledged his future to Bayer Leverkusen, the Spaniard was no longer an option when it came to replacing Jürgen Klopp. Would Liverpool have been able to tempt Martin Zubimendi to the club if his former Real Sociedad B manager had been at the helm? It’s not beyond the realms of possibility.

Alonso has certainly proven to be an attractive coach when it comes to attracting players, as Leverkusen’s sporting director Simon Rolfes recently explained to Sky Sports. He spoke of his manager’s importance when it came to enticing an ex-Arsenal star to Germany

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"We could not have signed [Granit] Xhaka or [Alejandro] Grimaldo if they did not have the feeling that it was a really interesting club with an interesting head coach," Rolfes said, with retaining Alonso’s services also vital to the club’s future. "I always had a good feeling that he would stay,” he added.

Rolfes did admit that there may come a time when Alonso takes the next step in his career, as Kai Havertz did when he left the Bundesliga side to join Chelsea.

He added: "Each successful story is helpful for the next one. That is also the case with the players. Kai Havertz, for example. He was 17 when we counted on him and his career path helped us to sign Florian Wirtz. He played at 16. He will maybe help the next one."

But can Alonso and Leverkusen, who face Bayern Munich this weekend, add to the trophies they won last season? “This motivates me a lot and I can feel it that it is also motivating for others to try to get the next chance,” said the 42-year-old.

"The challenge is different because the expectations are very high now. Some guys think maybe we can win again,” he continued, while admitting a performance dip could prove to be inevitable. "That is challenging, it is human after such a season. You really have to be careful with this."

Liverpool knows this all too well. It won the Premier League in 2019/20 then struggled in the following campaign (though injuries played a significant part in that). A similar pattern occurred in the season after the quadruple bid went as deep as it possibly could in 2021/22.

One way to guard against this is to refresh the squad with new players. Rolfes might not have been speaking with reference to the Reds, but he clearly values Alonso from this perspective. FSG and Richard Hughes might have too.