Bayer Leverkusen’s incredible resurgence under Xabi Alonso is hardly a secret to anyone but the people who voted at the Ballon d’Or, which means that legendary former player is a hot property as manager. Bayern Munich and FC Liverpool wanted to sign him over the summer, but Alonso signed an extension until 2026 at Leverkusen instead.
Still, a one-year contract extension will have done little to convince outsiders that Alonso is looking to stick at Die Werkself for long, especially with rumors of Real Madrid looking to sign him growing more and more frequent. Still, Leverkusen boss Simon Rolfes claims to not sweat the contract of his star coach:
“I’m quite relaxed because his contract extends beyond the upcoming summer,” Rolfes states, as captured by Florian Plettenberg. “In football, the here and now is always what matters. You shouldn’t focus on yesterday or tomorrow but on what’s happening now. Speculation is part of the game, but reality is what counts.”
That is a remarkably big word salad for such a short quote, but it also hardly inspires confidence in Alonso staying at Leverkusen when Rolfes answers questions about a future transfer with a call to focus on the present. It remains to be seen where the coaching prodigy will move next and when he will do so, but as of now there is little reason to deviate from the belief that this season will be his last at Bayer Leverkusen. Still, everybody believed the same thing last season…
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s dominant 3-0 victory over Union Berlin in the Bundesliga? Awesome, then check out our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show to see who started, who scored, who subbed on, and where this all goes from here. You can get the show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
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