One of the most revered journalists in soccer, Fabrizio Romano, has dismissed reports claiming Xabi Alonso has held positive talks with the Liverpool hierarchy. Romano believes the Spaniard is solely focused on making history with Bayer Leverkusen and may not make a decision about his future until the season concludes.
Xabi Alonso Close To Becoming Jurgen Klopp’s Successor, Claims Sacha Tavolieri
Since Jurgen Klopp announced his departure at the end of the 2023-24 season, reports have been consistently linking top-tier managers with the Liverpool job. On Monday, journalist
Sacha Tavolieri sensationally claimed that the Bayer Leverkusen manager had made up his mind to become Klopp’s successor after holding talks with the Reds hierarchy.
On X (formerly Twitter), Tavolieri wrote:
“Xabi Alonso more and more close to Liverpool FC…. The Spanish coach has made clear his mind after several talks between his entourage & LFC board.
“Even if FC Bayern’s pushing, it seems less likely that the trainer of Bayer 04 will continue one more year in Bundesliga.”
Fabrizio Romano Insists Alonso Is Not Thinking About Liverpool Or Bayern Offers
In his Daily Briefing column for CaughtOffside, Romano indirectly addressed Tavolieri’s claims, saying he was not aware of any new developments in the Alonso saga. Romano, instead, claimed that the coach was determined to oversee a historic, Bundesliga-winning campaign for Leverkusen.
He said:
“We’re hearing fresh stories about Liverpool and positive talks over Xabi Alonso, and while I respect other journalists and their sources, my understanding is that there is nothing new to report on this saga.
“I honestly have no news yet on Xabi Alonso. It’s normal that we have many reports, one day reports on being close to Bayern, one day same on Liverpool, but my understanding is nothing is decided or close yet. Alonso is 100% focused on doing something historical at Bayer Leverkusen, meanwhile, both Liverpool and Bayern want him, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens.”
Romano concluded by adding:
“And, as I’ve said before, Alonso is a top candidate for Liverpool, but not the only one. Liverpool will appoint a new director, and then a new manager. That step will be crucial to decide on the new coach.”
Leverkusen are currently at the top of the Bundesliga rankings, eight points clear of second-placed Bayern Munich. The Germans, who are on a 33-game unbeaten run in all competitions, are also in the semi-final of DFB-Pokal and in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Europa League.
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