Xabi Alonso has attracted concrete interest from clubs in the Premier League, but has insisted he won’t leave Bayer Leverkusen this summer.
Having taken over at Leverkusen in October, Alonso has enhanced his reputation with an impressive start to life in senior management.
The Spaniard has led his side from second-bottom in the Bundesliga to as high as sixth, with Leverkusen currently seventh and in the semi-finals of the Europa League.
Thursday night brings the second leg at home to AS Roma, with Alonso’s club trailing 1-0, but regardless of their fate in Europe, he is not planning to leave.
Both Tottenham and Chelsea have been credited with an interest in the 41-year-old, though the latter are now close to appointing Mauricio Pochettino.
A move to Spurs clearly does not appeal to Alonso at this stage in his career, as he told reporters on Wednesday that he was “very happy” at Leverkusen.
“We always want more. I’m very happy with the team and the club,” he is quoted by SPORT1.
“I have no worries about my future. I spoke to everyone at the club!”
When asked if that signalled his intention to stay with Leverkusen at least to the end of his contract in 2024, he replied: “Yes, correct!”
Given Alonso’s promising start at Leverkusen, many supporters have even suggested he could eventually take over from Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.
It is an obvious connection, given his affinity with the club and the city, having spent five years at Anfield as a player, making 210 appearances.
Whether that pans out is entirely up in the air, with a long-held belief that Steven Gerrard could succeed Klopp now downplayed following his disappointing stint at Aston Villa.
GOAL‘s Neil Jones has, however, described Liverpool as being “well aware” of Alonso’s progress at Leverkusen, and with a long-term plan always in place, they would be “watching with interest.”
Alonso has taken a sensible approach to his fledging career as a manager so far, having spurned interest from elsewhere while in charge of Real Sociedad B.
He began as a coach in the Real Madrid academy before taking over the reserve side at his boyhood club in Sociedad, with Leverkusen his first senior job.
Work is already underway to bolster his squad for next season, with Alex Grimaldo arriving as a free agent from Benfica and Granit Xhaka edging closer to a move from Arsenal.
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