In his press conference today ahead of Bayer Leverkusen’s game against Mainz, Xabi Alonso was faced with a host of questions regarding his future at the club.
The former midfielder was prepared for the situation and opened his press conference with (via @iMiaSanMia): “Maybe you have questions about my future, but sorry, I have nothing new to say”
Alonso was then asked about whether his name being linked to vacant jobs is a problem for him, Alonso said: “For me, it’s not a problem. Every game is important. We’re in a good position at the moment, we want to enjoy and continue this way. That’s enough for me”
Naturally, the Leverkusen coach was also asked if he would be at Leverkusen next season and he doubled down: “Right now I’m assuming that” Later he was asked about fulfilling his contract at Leverkusen and said: “Right now I’m the coach and that’s certain. Regarding the future, I have nothing new to say. We’ll see. It’s normal that there are questions, but this is not the right moment to talk about that”
Finally, Alonso was asked if Bayern Munich’s tactics of expressing interest in players and managers in the media to unsettle their rivals, which is something that is becoming apparent now in recent weeks with the club eight points behind Leverkusen. Alonso responded with: “I don’t feel that way. For me, it’s not a problem. We have a great opponent, but there’s no distraction at the moment. We’re focused”
Since it was announced that Thomas Tuchel and Bayern will part ways at the end of the season, Alonso’s name has been consistently mentioned throughout the media. However, Bayern are not the only team interested in the Spaniard with Alonso’s former club Liverpool also interested in bringing in the 2005 Champions League winner in to replace Jürgen Klopp.
This rumour will likely not go away until a decision has been made whether that be another season at Leverkusen, a move to Liverpool or Bayern is confirmed and with Leverkusen in the middle of a nearly one-sided title race with Bayern, this will keep on going until May at the earliest.
GGFN | Jack Meenan
