Alonso To Leave Leverkusen At End Of The Season

At the conclusion of the current campaign, Xabi Alonso will step down as head coach of Bayer Leverkusen. The Spaniard had an incredible 2023–24 season, leading his team to a Bundesliga and German Cup double while they went undefeated in the domestic league. In the summer, the Spaniard has been linked to a move to Real Madrid, his old club.

The departure of Xabi Alonso from Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the current campaign has been confirmed.

The former midfielder for Liverpool and Spain had a fantastic 2023–24 season with Leverkusen, leading them to the Bundesliga and German Cup double.

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Leverkusen was denied a spectacular treble by Serie A team Atalanta in the 2024 UEFA Europa League final, despite going undefeated in the league and cup that season.

For the team’s final two games of the season, against Mainz and Borussia Dortmund, Alonso affirmed that he would continue to serve as manager.

“This week the club and I have agreed that these two games will be my last two games as Bayer Leverkusen coach,” Alonso said on Friday.

“We have been talking during this week, and now is the right moment to announce it.

“We have always had good and direct communication, and now that we have clarity, it is the right moment to say that for sure.

“It is a moment with mixed emotions, but it is the moment to announce it.”

Reports in the press have linked Alonso with a return to his former club Real Madrid, where he spent five years as a player.

However, the 43-year-old Spaniard kept his cards close to his chest when questioned about his future.

“It’s not the moment to talk about the future,” he added.

“Now we know, we want to have a proper farewell on Sunday for some players and for myself.

“We have to enjoy this moment with mixed emotions.”

Leverkusen finished sixth in Alonso’s first campaign with the club.

The German side followed up last season’s title-winning heroics with a second-place finish in the Bundesliga this time around, with Bayern Munich becoming champions.