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Xabi Alonso was the favourite to succeed Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager but turned down the chance before Arne Slot’s appointment.
Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso has refused to commit his future to Bayer Leverkusen - a year after turning down a potential return to Anfield.
Alonso was the hot favourite to take charge of the Reds after the bombshell announcement that Jurgen Klopp would leave his post in January 2024. At the time, the Spaniard’s Bayer Leverkusen were running away with the Bundesliga title. Indeed, Die Werkself went on to be crowned champions and DFB Pokal winners without losing a game. The only defeat they suffered throughout 2023-24 was their final match - a 3-0 loss to Atalanta in the Europa League final.
It was no surprise that the former Liverpool favourite was the front-runner to succeed Klopp. However, Alonso made it clear that he was not keen on an L4 reunion and the Reds moved on to other targets. Liverpool instead appointed Arne Slot from Feyenoord, with the Dutchman on track to claim the Premier League title in his maiden campaign.
Leverkusen have lost only two of their 26 Bundesliga fixtures this term but sit second in the German table, six points behind Bayern Munich. Alonso is under contract at the BayArena until 2026 and has been heavily linked with replacing Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid whenever the Italian departs his role.
However, Alonso insists he remains focused on Leverkusen as they face VfL Bochum tonight and his situation is ‘different’ compared to last year when coveted by Liverpool and Bayern Munich.
The former Spain international, who was part of the Reds’ Champions League-winning side in 2005, told reporters via Diario AS: “I have not taken any decisions. It was a good break, we needed it. It was a different situation compared to last year. There was something to decide, and now there isn’t. That’s the difference. I was in Spain last week, yes, but I haven’t spoken to anyone.
“There’s no deadline. My thoughts are the same. I remain focused on this season. I’ve already said that the focus of our players and myself is on what we have. We’re in a key phase. We don’t want to speculate about anything beyond football.”
Will Xabi Alonso manage Liverpool in the future?
Alonso was back at Anfield when Leverkusen faced Liverpool in the Champions League. The Reds earned a 4-0 victory, with Luis Diaz firing a hat-trick and Cody Gakpo on target.
Asked whether he considered replacing Klopp in the Liverpool hot seat at his pre-match press conference, Alonso said: "At that time, I was focused, I had a big thing with the players and we were really focused on that."
He then shut down questions on whether he could be a potential Reds boss in the future. "Let's talk about the game tomorrow, it's more interesting than my future. Let's talk about the great players on both sides, That is what is in my head. For us, it is a big challenge to come here. Liverpool at the moment is one of the best, if not the best in Europe, They are showing that in a very strong Premier League and the Champions League. It's a good squad, good coach. At Anfield, it's a big challenge. We're looking forward to it; let's see what happens.”