This summer, Xavi Alonso will presumably have his choice of open positions if he decides to leave Bayer Leverkusen. Some of the biggest clubs in Europe are scheduled to part ways with their CEOs.
Being the most sought-after manager in football, Alonso has his team winning every game and leading the Bundesliga.
Soon after it was announced that Jurgen Klopp would be leaving Liverpool at the end of the current season, Alonso was being hailed as the German manager’s inevitable successor.
The 42-year-old would have the support of the Anfield supporters from the beginning after enjoying a five-year tenure with the Reds during his playing days.
Nevertheless, taking over from a manager who has spent nine years winning trophies on Merseyside would not be an easy feat.
Alonso won the World Cup during his illustrious playing career. His style of football may not fit with Klopp’s setup, but there’s no denying that it would thrill the supporters who once chanted his name.
While Alonso would be following in the footsteps of a legendary figure at one former club, he would also be expected to pull another out of the doldrums.
With eight points behind Alonso’s Leverkusen, Bayern Munich’s long-standing Bundesliga dominance is seriously in jeopardy, and the German team will part ways with Thomas Tuchel at the end of the current campaign.
Alonso’s abilities are well known to the Bavarians, who had been aiming for an incredible 12-team league championship run. They have apparently named him as their top pick to replace Tuchel at the Allianz Arena.
It might make more sense to move to a team in a league he is already familiar with rather than accepting such a prominent Premier League position at Anfield.
This summer, Barcelona will also require a new head coach, and managerial positions do not come much bigger.
The Blaugrana are reportedly ready to bid farewell to club legend Xavi and have lined up former Real Madrid player Alonso in his place.
Although supporters of the team Alonso represented from 2009 to 2014 would not be amused by his taking over in Catalonia, Alonso is connected to Barcelona because his father Periko was a former player at Camp Nou.
If he decides to play for Real’s fierce rivals, he runs the risk of destroying his relationship with Real, which might not be worth it if he wants to manage them in the future.
Should Alonso’s ultimate goal be to coach Real Madrid, he might be inclined to carry on performing admirably at Leverkusen and wait it out.
With two more years left on his contract in the Spanish capital, seasoned coach Carlo Ancelotti is poised to win another La Liga championship this year.
Since this is Alonso’s first full season as manager of Leverkusen, he knows full well that it would be risky for him to leave for a big job so early in his managerial career.
And even if he wins the team’s first Bundesliga title this season, the two-time Champions League winner might think there’s still a lot he can accomplish with the team he’s put together.