Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso confirms he will stay for another season, despite interest from Bayern Munich and Liverpool.
Xabi Alonso announced on Friday that he has decided to reject his offers and will stay on as manager of Leverkusen for the next season. The Spaniard was the priority candidate for both Bayern Munich and Liverpool this summer.
“It has been a season with a lot of speculation regarding my future,” Alonso said. “I wanted to use the international break to reflect a little bit better and to take a decision.
“Last week, I had a good meeting with Simon [Rolfes, the club’s sporting director] with Fernando [Carro, CEO], when I informed them of my decision to continue being coach of Bayer Leverkusen.
“For sure all the decisions, you need to analyse well, and I tried to take the right ones, I tried to take the ones that come in a natural way, and at this moment I feel this is the right place for me to be to develop as a coach.
“I am a young coach, but I have to feel it, and right now I feel that this is the right place.”
Bayer Leverkusen is 10 points clear in the Bundesliga and has reached the latter stages of the DFB-Pokal and Europa League. Alonso’s side are still unbeaten in all competitions this season.
“It’s a process, the development of the team is parallel with my development as a manager,” he added. “This is my first complete season as a manager. I still have a lot of things to prove myself, to experience, and right now I have a situation in the club where I feel really stable, really happy with the team and the club.”
