"Xabi Alonso has a contract until 2026 and he will stay here"

Bayer Leverkusen's CEO Fernando Carro assured that Xabi Alonso has a contract until 2026 as first-team coach and will remain at the club.

"He has a contract until 2026 and there is no doubt he will stay here. In football you never know what will happen. But I have a lot of confidence, we have a very good relationship. I am very relaxed, like Simon Rolfes. We have been planning the squad for next season for a long time, with Xabi Alonso," said Carro at the general assembly of the West German Sports Journalists' Association at the BayArena.

The manager responded to rumours that the Spanish coach is far from Bayer Leverkusen, at clubs such as Liverpool or even Bayern Munich, and in the face of a hypothetical departure he indicated that they have "a list of coaches that is always updated" because they have to "be prepared in case things turn out differently" to what they think, but that he does not believe it will happen.

Carro felt that the club is lucky to have Xabi Alonso, who arrived in October 2022 after managing Real Madrid's youth team and Real Sociedad B and is on the verge of completing a historic season at Bayer Leverkusen by winning the Bundesliga title for the first time.

"To win a title after 31 years would be extraordinary. It would be good for the league if Bayern Munich didn't win it for the 12th time in a row. That's my clear opinion. I notice how much support we get and how many people want us to be champions. We haven't done it yet, there are still eight games, five wins to go, and we are doing everything we can to make that possible," he added. 

 

March 19, 2024