Alonso was under strong consideration alongside others, and would naturally have had a strong claim for the job if he felt the time was right to move to England.
His seeming lack of availability is undoubtedly a blow, especially to the supporters who made him their No 1 choice, but Liverpool are sure there are others capable of moving the squad forward in the full-throttle style which has become the norm under Klopp.
Bayern: ‘It will be difficult to sign Alonso’
Liverpool are not the only club anticipating that Alonso will stay at Leverkusen. Bayern Munich’s honorary president, Uli Hoeness, said his club had effectively given up trying to convince him to move to the Allianz Arena.
“I feel that it will be very difficult to sign Xabi Alonso, not to say probably impossible,” he said. “I can certainly imagine him staying at Bayer Leverkusen to continue his job.
“[Alonso] is more inclined to stay at Bayer Leverkusen in view of their current successes, because he would not want to leave them behind. Let’s say if he had two or three more years of success, it would probably be easier to bring him out of there.”
Alonso himself has remained tight-lipped despite being strongly linked with both stellar jobs. There are also suggestions that Real Madrid, another of Alonso’s former clubs, see him as the natural heir to Carlo Ancelotti when the legendary Italian moves on.
A studious player, Alonso is evidently equally conscientious about how he will map out his coaching career.
He was patient in his first steps in management, rejecting several offers from big European clubs while learning his craft as Real Sociedad’s ‘B’ coach.
Despite incredible success at Leverkusen, where his side are still unbeaten in all competitions this season and on the verge of winning the Bundesliga title, it would appear he is determined to work to his own timeline rather than jump into one of the world’s biggest clubs at the first opportunity.
As Liverpool consider alternatives, the only guarantee is that Klopp’s replacement will be obliged to play in the same attacking manner which has brought every major honour to Anfield since 2019.
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