Monday March 22, 2021
Borussia does not confirm the report
Xabi Alonso is to become a coach in Gladbach
Xabi Alonso is currently in the third division of Spain, leading the table with Real Sociedad’s second team. In the future, he should apparently return to the Bundesliga. According to a report, the former Bayern professional has signed with Borussia Mönchengladbach.
According to a media report, Borussia Mönchengladbach is counting on a big name as the successor to coach Marco Rose and is bringing the former world and European champion Xabi Alonso back to the Bundesliga. According to information from the “Bild” newspaper and “Sport Bild”, the former Bayern professional Xabi Alonso will be the new head coach at Gladbach from summer. Rose leaves the club after two years and moves to Borussia Dortmund. However, the association does not initially confirm this. “We do not comment on this story and will contact you if there is anything to report,” said club spokesman Markus Aretz.
The now 39-year-old Alonso has been coaching Real Sociedad San Sebastian’s second team since 2019 and is the table leader in Group 2 of the Spanish third division with them. With the Spanish national team, Alonso was world champion in 2010 and European champion in 2008 and 2012. He played for FC Bayern Munich for three years from 2014. He was three times German champion and once DFB Cup winner and also impressed off the field, not least because of his quickly acquired knowledge of German.
In 2017 he ended his professional career and soon after took over a youth team from Real Madrid. He played for Los Blancos from 2009 to 2014, and before that for five years for Liverpool. He also won the Champions League with the Reds in 2005, and nine years later with Real.
FC Bayern take a look
His signing would be a big surprise, as Alonso still has little to show as a coach. As a player, however, he was a strategist who many companions trusted early on as a second career as head coach. Shortly after the end of his career, the Basque, who was shaped in his career by José Mourinho, Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti, announced that he wanted to become a coach. In the long term, he is also considered an option for FC Bayern.
At least a few months ago, CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge raved about Alonso’s abilities in the podcast “Phrasenmower”. He has “this empathy that you need. Especially with today’s generation of players to spin such a common thread with them.” That is why he believes “that one day he will be a coach who may be of interest to FC Bayern at some point in the future.”
Gladbach manager Max Eberl, who has maintained close contacts with FC Bayern since his time as a young professional in Munich and was repeatedly considered a candidate for functionaries on the Isar, found out about Alonso in Munich. By the way, Alonso himself once moved to Germany because of Guardiola. “He had an irrepressible enthusiasm. The seasons in football are long and he never looked tired. He was alert and always ready,” he said.
His name had never been mentioned in Gladbach. On the rumor exchange, names were played more like Ralf Rangnick, who also acted as national coach, Florian Kohfeldt (Werder Bremen), Adi Hütter (Eintracht Frankfurt), Gerardo Seoane (Young Boys Bern) or Jesse Marsch (Red Bull Salzburg). In the end it will probably be someone with an even bigger name – but who has yet to earn his spurs as a coach.
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