Xabi Alonso’s Doubts Over FC Bayern Move: Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso Not Sure About Coaching Bayern Munich

As of: February 25, 2024, 5:04 a.m

By: Manuel Bonke, Philipp Kessler

PrintShare

FC Bayern and coach Thomas Tuchel will go their separate ways by summer at the latest. Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso is considered the ideal successor. But: He has doubts.

Munich – This Monday the powerful supervisory board of the FC Bayern make an official decision that has been clear behind the scenes for weeks: Max Eberl will be appointed as sports director.

Hopes are high that the experienced Bundesliga manager will lead the Munich team back into calmer waters than was the case in previous years: the restructuring of Bayern’s leadership, planned for a long time by club patron Uli Hoeneß, failed the resignation of Karl-Heinz Rummenigge as CEO – and ended with the double expulsion of CEO successor Oliver Kahn and sports director Hasan Salihamidzic last May.

Coaching at FC Bayern has long been an ejection seat

The duo had previously fired Julian Nagelsmann as coach in a quick move Thomas Tuchel installed, whose term ends after the season. A year earlier than originally planned. Since Pep Guardiola (2013 to 2016), no football teacher in Munich has fulfilled the term of his contract. The once comfortable trainer’s chair on Säbener Straße has developed into an uncomfortable ejection seat. This negative development has not gone unnoticed by Xabi Alonso.

It is an open secret that the Bayer Leverkusen coach in Munich is seen as the prime solution to succeed Tuchel. But the Spaniard anticipates at least as much as a football teacher as he once did as a midfield director on the pitch – and has analyzed the current situation on Säbener Strasse in detail.

Coach Xabi Alonso speaks at a press conference. © Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa/archive image

Not interested in FC Bayern: Alonso would probably rather stay in Leverkusen

After tz-Information from Leverkusen club circles means that due to the ongoing Bavarian unrest on and off the pitch, Alonso is said to have massive doubts as to whether the move to Munich is the right one for his future coaching career path. Xabi is not in the mood for the Bayern chaos! Instead, the Basque currently favors staying in Leverkusen or moving to Liverpool FC, where Jürgen Klopp is known to be leaving at the end of the season.

The Bayer squad, which Alonso played a leading role in putting together, will largely stay together next season Champions League play. The ideal opportunity for the former world-class footballer to prove himself on the highest international stage in peace and quiet with his successful team.

Tuchel’s successor at FC Bayern: The list of candidates at a glance

View photo series

You’re definitely interested too

Can Eberl convince Alonso? Spanier enjoys a say in the squad

In Leverkusen, the 42-year-old enjoyed building a title contender team together with sports director Simon Rolfes. In Liverpool, as team manager, he would have at least as much say in the composition of the squad. At FC Bayern, however, player commitments are the responsibility of the management team around Bald sports director Eberl and sports director Christoph Freund. Several coaches have had to nibble on this decision in the past – ask Thomas Tuchel or Hansi Flick.

Maybe Eberl will manage to convince the coach he wants to get involved after all. After all, he wanted to sign Alonso in 2021. At the time, the 50-year-old was manager in Mönchengladbach and revealed: “We had a conversation. It was an exchange, but we couldn’t offer him as much as he could offer me.” The former world-class footballer doubts whether Eberl can currently offer him the right working environment in Munich. Manuel Bonke, Philipp Kessler

2024-02-25 04:07:23
#Xabi #Alonso #mood #Bayern #chaos