- The 42-year-old Alonso confirmed his commitment to Bayer Leverkusen last month
- They have since won the Bundesliga and can add two more trophies to that list
- IAN LADYMAN and CHRIS SUTTON have their say on the Premier League Player of the Year – Listen to the It all starts podcast
Bayer Leverkusen was always confident that Xabi Alonso would resist the overtures of Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid to continue his fairytale with them.
Alonso, 42, is the top coaching prospect after leading Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title win. They were able to win two more trophies while remaining undefeated.
Amid intense speculation that he would replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool or replace Thomas Tuchel at Bayern, Alonso confirmed his commitment to Leverkusen last month.
The club’s sporting director Simon Rolfes said there was never any doubt Alonso would stay a little longer.
‘No. “We were always reliable and had open communication about everything,” he told the newspaper Daily mirror.
Xabi Alonso rejected Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid to reaffirm his commitment to a new season at Bayer Leverkusen
There were extraordinary scenes of celebration after Leverkusen won a first Bundesliga title
Leverkusen’s sporting director Simon Rolfes always believed Alonso would stay
Your browser does not support iframes.
‘My feeling was quite good all the time, there was definitely some interest, but I always had the feeling that he feels very good and likes to work with Bayer Leverkusen.
‘He has a very good relationship with the players, the club and the supporters and he feels like: ‘OK, maybe it’s good to stay here longer’.
‘We will continue together and have more goals to achieve.’
Leverkusen’s next ambitions are to add the German Cup and Europa League to the Bundesliga, which was sealed last Sunday when they beat Werder Bremen 5-0.
They extended their extraordinary unbeaten season in all competitions to 44 matches when Jeremy Frimpong scored an 89th-minute equalizer at West Ham to secure a 3-1 aggregate victory on Thursday evening.
Leverkusen faces a difficult Bundesliga assignment on Sunday afternoon at Champions League semi-finalist Borussia Dortmund.
Alonso’s side drew Roma in the Europa League semi-finals and will face second-tier Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal final on May 25.
One problem for Leverkusen is that bigger clubs in Germany, England and beyond can pick their star talents this summer.
Fullback Frimpong has been linked to Manchester United, Piero Hincapie has attracted interest from Liverpool, while 20-year-old star Florian Wirtz has suitors at Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Alonso is doused in beer as Leverkusen celebrate their historic Bundesliga victory
Jeremy Frimpong celebrates his late equalizer at West Ham to extend Leverkusen’s unbeaten season to 44 games in all competitions
“One thing is that we always extended the contracts early,” Rolfes said. ‘We have a lot of control over those situations.
‘The other thing is convincing, making the players feel that they are in the right place to develop.
‘It’s about developing their careers and also being successful together as a team. There is a strong bond between the boys and you can see that they enjoy playing together in this club and surrounding area.
‘It’s a real family environment, but we also try to encourage the boys to develop and get better. This combination puts us in a very good position in the eyes of the player.’
