Are Alonso and Rolfes leaving?
Liverpool are reportedly pursuing Bayer’s successful duo
February 19, 2024, 9:28 a.m
Xabi Alonso is currently the most sought-after coach in football. Liverpool FC has a good chance of becoming Jürgen Klopp’s successor. Now there are rumors that Bayer Leverkusen needs to be even more careful.
Should Bayer 04 Leverkusen be afraid? According to a media report, Liverpool FC is planning to sign the successful duo Xabi Alonso and Simon Rolfes in the summer. The coach and the sports director of the Bundesliga table leaders are the favorites to succeed the outgoing Jürgen Klopp and the ex-sports director Jörg Schmadtke, reports the “Football Insider” portal, citing “well-informed sources”.
In addition to the ex-Liverpool professional Alonso, the Premier League club also has national coach Julian Nagelsmann, Brighton’s Roberto de Zerbi and Ruben Amorim from Sporting Lisbon on its list of successors for Klopp. The 56-year-old is leaving Liverpool at the end of the season. The former Wolfsburg and Cologne player Schmadtke had already quit the English football club at the end of January after six months.
With the sporting leadership of Alonso and Rolfes, Leverkusen is still unbeaten this season. In the championship, the team is eight points ahead of rivals FC Bayern, and is also in the semi-finals of the DFB Cup and the round of 16 of the Europa League. It was recently reported that other clubs were interested in Alonso. His other former club, Real Madrid, reportedly also wants to secure the services of the former midfielder. FC Bayern is also likely to see the 42-year-old, who ended his career in Munich, as a future coach.
Alonso’s contract runs until 2026, Rolfes’ even extended it until 2028 in November. In Sport1’s “one-two” after the 3-0 win over FC Bayern, Rolfes said he was “sure” that Alonso would stay in Leverkusen. “One is contract constellations. The other is how comfortable he feels, the family, himself and that he knows what he has at the club. Also that he has a very good team, we have a very good perspective for next year will have and there will be no upheaval in the team.”