Many Liverpool fans wanted Xabi Alonso to be the man who replaced Jurgen Klopp this summer but he has now confirmed the news that had been circling before his press conference.
Speaking to the media, the Spaniard said: “Last week I had a meeting [with club officials] and informed them of the decision to continue being coach of Bayer Leverkusen.
“After lot of talks about my future, I used the break to reflect and make my decision. I feel this is the right place to be for me as a young coach. My job at Bayer is not over. I want to help the club, help the players to develop, the board is great … it’s all fantastic here.
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“All my cards on the table. I have thought about the decision because you need to reflect well. Once I took it I felt I needed to share it with everyone. It is a sign of respect. I informed the players at a team talk this morning. We have prepared in a normal way.
“You guys did a lot of speculation – even since last May! It’s part of the business, and I haven’t been stressed by it. It was important it wasn’t affecting the team and the mentality of the team was good. Everything is clear.”
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That’s it then, we can rule out the 42-year-old to be taking over at Anfield and the search will go on for Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards to find a new candidate.
As a former player and fan favourite as a Red, we can only wish the ex-midfielder all the best for the future and perhaps our paths will cross before the end of this campaign.
You can watch Alonso’s comments (from 7:40) via Bayer 04 Leverkusen on YouTube:
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