Xabi Alonso says it was his focus on what he achieves at Bayer Leverkusen that led him to dedicate his long career to the club rather than looking for opportunities elsewhere.
The Spaniard has done his homework for the German club, winning this season’s Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double and reaching the Europa League final.
It is the first Bundesliga title in the club’s history and the only second in the DFB-Pokal, with the defeat to Atalanta in the Europa League being the team’s only defeat all season.
As expected, Alonso has become a sought-after guy and two clubs he played for came to ask, Liverpool and Bayern Munich, for a new guy.
It is highly unlikely that the 42-year-old will turn down the possibility of coaching in Merseyside or Bavaria, but that is precisely what he did, opting to stay at Leverkusen and continue the brilliant start he made as a coach there.
Asked if he was contemplating the option of succeeding Jurgen Klopp at Anfield, Alonso told CNN: “All those decisions want to be deepened. We have to think about it. And it was more about what I had, not what I was missing. “
“Of course, my connection with Liverpool is there and still there. So there’s no challenge with that.
The Leverkusen manager was pressed to know if he had held talks with Liverpool, but he kept his cards to himself and said: “It’s a bit of a curtain. “
The managerial merry-go-round is harder to expect than ever this year, with Arne Slot being hired via Liverpool to upgrade Klopp and Vincent Kompany being pulled from relegated Burnley to upgrade Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich.
Worried about Kompany in his jump from Turf Moor to the Allianz Arena, Alonso believes that he will do so as a coach after the defeat against Atalanta that claimed them the treble.
“I have a feeling that this match will make me a better coach, a better coach than if we had won the treble,” he said.
“Of course, you don’t forget those games and you can use them in the future.
“At the moment it hurts. It hurts a lot, but I feel like it’s going to be more helpful for my progression than winning the treble.
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