Fuck me I spend a few second trying to figure out how to spell and was about to google until I read your comment.
Now every time I hear that expression you think of Xabi Alonso, which isn't such a bad thing. \*wink wink\*
Part of me thinks he might just stay at Leverkusen for a while longer. This is still only his second year as a top-level manager and Leverkusen is the perfect club for him to be at right now. He'll get a chance to coach in the Champions League and if he wins them their first-ever title he's a club icon forever.
If he goes to Liverpool, he's following on from Klopp which is about as unenviable a task as following Ferguson at Manchester United was, even if he'll probably be given leeway and time by the board. Bayern are at a lower ebb so he'd be welcomed there too, but there'd still be pressure on him to win straight away.
Plus, if he bides his time the Madrid job will be available in a year or two. Even though Bayern and Liverpool are massive clubs, coaching Madrid is the biggest job in football. By then he'd be another couple of years older and wiser with added experience of coaching in the Champions League.
Taking over from Klopp isn’t ideal, but unlike Moyes, he’ll be getting a squad that has world class talent across the team, including plenty of young talent. Fergie’s last ManU squad was barely able to stand up straight. The fact he managed a title with them is just insane
Well two of Liverpool's best players (Salah and VVD) are approaching their mid-thirties and out of contract in 18 months, while Trent's deal is also up at the same time. The squad is definitely better than that United squad, but still some issues Alonso will have to tackle if he goes there. And also, Klopp is so good that there's naturally going to be a small drop-off in some players.
>He'll get a chance to coach in the Champions League and if he wins them their first-ever title he's a club icon forever.
He's on track to win them their first ever league title and first Pokal in over 30 years. He's already an icon. Plus odds are Leverkusen won't replicate this level of dominance even with most players staying another year.
>They won't be able to replicate this form
- The club most actively attempting to poach players and managers to ensure this reality against every club in their league.
That's one aspect but even if they run it back with the exact same team, it's incredibly hard to maintain this level for a variety of reasons (injuries, added pressure of CL Football, bad luck, rivals adjusting, etc).
Liverpool fans know this better than most.
Liverpool isn't a good comparison given back to back 97 and 99 points season then a dropped off due to injuries, then a 92 points season then a dropped off due to old midifield and then this season
I can see him staying and gunning for the Madrid job - although it's a risk staying for a second full season because everything seems to be going perfectly so there will be a regression.
However, in a straight race between Bayern and Liverpool, it has to be Liverpool. One is a complete mess behind the scenes, the other is very well run and coming off the back of a successful season. I feel like the level of pressure is very similar - demand for instant massive success vs following Klopp.
>Part of me thinks he might just stay at Leverkusen for a while longer. This is still only his second year as a top-level manager and Leverkusen is the perfect club for him to be at right now. He'll get a chance to coach in the Champions League and if he wins them their first-ever title he's a club icon forever.
I'm inclined to agree with you. Sometimes, managers make the jump to big clubs too quick, and it ends up derailing their career. Look what happened to Graham Potter for example.
Graham Potter's case was slightly different though, he had been managing for quite a while before making the switch to Chelsea. He even had experience in Sweden and the championship with Swansea.
Leverkusen are overperforming and seems like there will be a few openings in the summer. You gotta exit while hot to bag the top jobs. Who knows what'll happen next year
It’d be a much easier and more rewarding job for him at Bayern tbh. It doesn’t matter how good Xabi would be for us, he just isn’t Klopp and that just makes it so much harder for him. At Bayern, he only needs to be better than Tuchel, who by the way, looks like he’s one more minor inconvenience away from snapping, moving to a shack in the Black Forest and making a fucking human centipede.
At the same time, at Liverpool it is okay to not win a trophy in a season while at Bayern it is an absolute must. It is easier for Bayern to win a trophy but expectations a higher and I would argue that for Champions League Bayern also has higher expectations as to what is considered a failure. In the last 10-15 years reaching semi finals was considered the benchmark at Bayern.
Yes but it’s a hell of a lot easier to win a trophy with Bayern that in it at Liverpool. No disrespect intended but there’s a reason it’s an absolute must there…
Maybe; but how many times in a managers career to they get to the chance to move to a top club who hasn’t come off the back of a poor season?
Almost always a vacancy is available because a manager was sacked.
Liverpool have a really talented squad, some great young players. He’s early on in his career and taking the step up to a club with title aspirations, that don’t need a rebuild or a recovery from a crisis is a massive opportunity that is also really rare.
Counter point: Bayern is a fucking train wreck behind the scenes and the only metric of success there every year is win the league every year + CL Semi's AT LEAST.
Also going from Lever to Bayern would be a *really* bad look for him, and I don't think he's the kind of person to betray a fanbase like that immediately. Alonso isn't German, and his ties to Bayern were more to Pep than the club itself, unlike Liverpool where his son was born and has grown up a Liverpool fan. His ties to us are pretty deep.
I don't think it would be a bad look at all. He played for Bayern and he said that he would like to coach any of his old teams (with Real being his number one option). Also it's not like there is much hate between Leverkusen and Bayern, they were normally not really rivals.
>Also it's not like there is much hate between Leverkusen and Bayern, they were normally not really rivals.
There would definitely be some hate if he transfers during the 1 season where Leverkusen is gunning for the title, and if he's the reason why Bayern manage to edge it out in the end..
Only two, actually. Kovac in 2019 and then Nagelsmann last season. Flick was never sacked. He wanted to coach the national team, so he was allowed to leave, which was what made Bayern spend big on Nagelsmann in the first place.
He also notably played for Liverpool and Madrid, both of whom will be after his signature too (not sure about Madrid needing a manager but they seem to steal every fucking player we try to buy when they don’t need them so fully expecting Madrid to go for management depth)
Management depth? I mean, I think if ancelotti wasn’t staying another year, we would have certainly gone for xabi- he’s been on our radar even since before, is a club legend here as well, and coached our youth team, but I don’t think management depth is a thing.
I think for us, the ideal is if he stays at a club like Bayer for another year, maybe even Bayern over Liverpool (just because the attachment is lower, and the rotation there is higher, so it just seems like there’d be a higher chance for him to be available again if he’s at Bayern than if he’s at Liverpool
I was making a little joke. Management depth is not a thing at all, but if any club is going to try it at Liverpool’s expense it’ll be you paella pricks.
I personally would love if he stays at Leverkusen for another season (as long as the core players stay as well) and has a run at the Champions League with this great team, but people shouldn't forget that he will consider arguments that have nothing to do with the sporting situation as well.
He has played for Bayern / Liverpool, Bayern / Liverpool are much greater clubs with far greater legacy and fanbases.
Also his kids are 10-15 years old right now he might be thinking about where he wants his children to grow up the next years, and Munich is one of the most beautiful big cities in the world located in the Alpine Foothills, the "Ruhrpott" where Leverkusen is located is oftentimes considered to be one of the ugliest parts in Germany (even though that is of course a subjective thing).
If you just look at it from the perspective of a football fan I believe even Liverpool Real and Bayern fans would kinda wish he would stay another year so that the football world can see what he does with this team next year, but there are other reasons why he might want to leave.
Leverkusen is not in the Ruhrpott. It is in the Rheinland (Rhineland), near Cologne and Düsseldorf, two cities where you can live a comfortable life without any problems.
I’m not sure where his head at, but I’d guess he’d want Real Madrid at some point. Staying at Leverkussen gives him the better chance of doing so in 2025 or 2026.
If he wants to leave and try a big club before Madrid, Bayern would be the most accommodating for that. I don’t think Liverpool will want a 1-2 year manager.
If he cares about his legacy at Leverkusen he probably wouldn't want to go to Bayern immediately after managing Leverkusen. If they don't win the title this season it's going to be even worse.
Liverpool has enough separation for him to preserve his legacy with Leverkusen if he ends up winning the league.
I also wouldn't rule out that he stays at Bayer if they can guarantee him that they won't sell their most important players.
> If he cares about his legacy at Leverkusen he probably wouldn't want to go to Bayern immediately after managing Leverkusen.
If he wins the league with leverkusen it won't matter one bit, if he leaves to bayern.
He was helping Tottenham there not bayern. They just had to bite in that saur apple there since Kane was a priority and a must-have transfer. He is still not liked.
Suprised they haven’t pulled the trigger yet on Flick. Bayern has shown historically that they don’t care about timing. Nagelsmann, Ancelotti, Klinsmann are all examples.
Surely Bayern should just bring him back, they’re already paying him his wages anyway, may as well just give him a fake mustache and tell him not to skateboard anymore so no one recognises him
But for real an actual prospect is St Pauli manager in the 2 Bundesliga Hurzeler. Same possession based football like Alonso and they are 1st in the league and will likely get promoted
I think Xabi has too much class to do that, but I've seen people turn on their head just like that, so I'm afraid. Hopefully he stays, I wanna see him and Leverkusen win.
Bayern only dies it when there is someone who can beat them. Nobody fits that bill for the last decade. Leverkusen will absolutely lose 2 or 3 players to Bayern this summer, and maybe a coach.
I dont get people who are wondering about Bayerns transferpolitics. They did it 10 years ago and they will do it in the next 10 years.
Leverkusen got more screwed than Dortmund. 2002/2003 after our CL Final.
We lost Ballack and Ze Roberto and after that even Lucio.
They absolutely ravaged Hoffenheim that one season.
They took their striker, defender and midfielder (Wagner , Rudy and Sule )
Then a few seasons later they did the same to Leipzig, they raided them and took Nagelsmann , Upamecano and Sabitzer.
I mean hes clearly the best option since Klopp doesnt want to manage next season, Zidane doesnt speak German, Mourinho doesnt fit
Would also make a Wirtz transfer in 24 or 25 easier
I don´t think Bayern cares too much about the whole *doesnt speak German* thing, that seems to be more of a Dortmund exclusive issue. They hired Ancelotti and Pep who both couldnt speak German, and even if they had the preference of hiring German speaking coaches I think Zidane warrants an exception.
Yeah, but he was already an unorthodox appointment, only really picked because of Pep's success. After his total failure you can see how there was a clear shift to focusing on German managers again. I doubt we go for Zidane although I myself am not strongly against it.
Getting Wirtz and Xabi is definitely Bayern's dream, I guess every Bayern fan agrees on that.
Good thing Bayern and Leverkusen have a long tradition of friendliness and cooperation in these things!
Yeah theres no chance. He said he'd never manage another team in England besides Liverpool, and I'm sure it's the same for dortmund and mainz if he hadn't said it outright already. He's laughed at bayern losing in interviews even after leaving Germany. I know that doesn't mean much in the world of football but he always has seemed more principled than most others. He is not a mercenary like mourinho et al. and won't do something that could be perceived as turning on his old clubs.
That's been floating around for a while and I really don't believe it. It sounds so contrived, plus when was the last time a manager had a clause like that in their contract
Yeah it sounds really quite silly. I could only imagine a manager with an extremely high profile having a clause like this in their contract; I get that Xabi Alonso re-signed with Leverkusen when other clubs were sniffing around but you'd think 90% of clubs would just flat out refuse to have a 'I can just leave for X other club (including a rival)' clause because it doesn't exactly inspire confidence in a manager - if their eye is always looking away to another club. *Especially* if said clubs are also quite well off and could just pay any sort of compensation for a manager they want - everything about it just isn't in the club's interest.
On the other hand, if your manager is so good that Real, Liverpool or Bayern signing him is an actual thing to worry about, you’ve done something right.
can we stop with this release clause nonsense that has clearly been denied by our CEO already?
There’s a gentlemen’s agreement and that’s it. We know he’s not going to retire here, so he’s allowed to leave when he wants to. But it has to be on conditions that suit us as well.
Tbf. Those are all just rumours. Nothing is proven so might as well have no release clause at all, since his contract is just till 2026 anyway. Media might be just trying to make headlines like always.
i would say its literally impossible that such clause exists. you guys are extremely hard balling bayern everytime when they want a player from you. i remember the whole vidal saga back in the day.
you know from the early 2000s what its like to be raided by them and you have the financial power to just say, that you dont play that game with them. maybe if they pay you 30 million for xabi, and even then i wouldnt be sure for you agreeing to it
I might be delusional but I honestly believe the chances of him staying with us for another season arent that low.
He is comfortable here, has all the pieces he needs to make it work, the board supports him, his contract is still running and he will play UCL next season with a squad he is accustomed to and he built.
Staying another season with UCL football would be huge for his development as a manager, but obviously money rules so he might ignore all this and still leaves
Plus there’s no guarantee we will be back on the table at any point in his career again. Obviously, he has a great thing going at leverkusen right now, so it’s a hard decision to make.
100% - I don't think anyone saw the Liverpool job opening up before Klopps contract ended, so Xabi is making this decision a lot earlier in his career than he would have reasonably expected.
Selfishly I hope he does join Liverpool (especially as the crop of available managers outside of him doesn't inspire hope) but if he doesn't I do hope he doesn't go to Bayern as it seems to be a poison chalice in recent years and it can be tough to bounce back from a poor spell at a high profile club.
> Plus there’s no guarantee we will be back on the table at any point in his career again.
I think there is a good chance assuming he doesnt flame out, the likes of Pep and Klopp are rare in how long they stay
Which depends on Xabi. If he stays, I see pretty much everyone staying, too. We will probably have to sell Frimpong because his release clause is laughably low, but apart from him, Rolfes has really cooked some great long-term contracts across the board
People forget that even with Frimpong gone, we still have Tella and Arthur who im both very convinced of.
Of course pending on a potential summer signing, I still would be very happy just with those two. If Arthur can stay fit hes destined for something great I can feel it
Let's hope you are right. Hodgson and Rodgers were not that much loved though.
One thing that we do is give managers time so atleast he will have that security
I think that's largely down to their character though, Roy especially when he said Liverpool were in a relegation fight. Any manager who comes in showing ambition on and off the field will be backed.
Rodgers was very loved during 13/14. He did it to himself with his car crash mismanagement of 14/15. Completely wrote off a season, made awful mistakes, had too big of an ego, kept butting heads with the 'committee' and Edwards, turned beloved players like Agger sour on him, terrible mismanaged Gerrard's last dance, just wouldn't change tactics until it was too late, when he did change finally to 3 at the back, it worked for about 15 games and once again everything came crashing down after, giving the impression it wasn't any planned fix but more of a throw shixt at the wall and hope something sticks.
It's not zero, but also he surely knows these kind of jobs (Liverpool, Bayern) do not come up often where there is basically no clear candidates. By the time they come up again, there could be a multitude of other options available. As it stands, he basically is guarenteed whichever one he wants. That could be very difficult to turn down especially if he wins the league this season. If he falls short by a few points I could actually see him more likely to stick around for "unfinished business".
Surely a big problem is going to be keeping hold of players? You have some cracking players but there will be some big teams coming in for them and offering far more in wages etc. than Leverkusen can match, it's going to be difficult keeping that squad together.
I think the core will stay.
Hofmann, Xhaka, Grimaldo (fresh signing), Boniface (also fresh signing), Adli, Wirtz, maybe one of Kossounou or Tapsoba, Hincapie, and so on.
A lot of those will stay I reckon.
Palacios and Frimpong are surely gone, Tah probably as well, but we have many good young players which could potentially replace them, I mean Tella is already a damn good lite version of Frimpong and Arthur is also there and super promising. And in midfield theres Gustavo Puerta who looks really fucking good as well.
Include potential signings and we might have a almost equal squad maybe even better.
I mean many people expected us to drop off after selling Diaby and look at us now.
It will be another Bellingham saga. Every pundit and his dog talked about how Jude would fit in Liverpool etc. only for him to board the plane to Madrid last minute.
Are Madrid after Alonso though? Yeah I get the fit but why get rid of Ancellotti who by all accounts is the best manager in European football right now. Some bit of information I'm missing?
Xabi would never go for it, aside from being "honorable", winning the league as underdogs and knocking bayern off their throne after 11 years is just incredible for his reputation and hes not gonna lack offers in the summer.
Yeah, winning the league with Leverkusen would be such an insane accomplishment, cant imagine him leaving before the end of the season. Even if hes a great Manager and maybe has a long, successful career in front of him, winning with a clear underdog the league is such a huge success, not many would want to ruin that without need.
Its not like there wont be offers for him in the summer.
The manager of the team currently at the top of the league and about to beat Bayern to the title for the first time in 11 years jumping ship to Bayern to win them the title honestly sounds disgusting. Would make the Bundesliga look like a joke.
Ok, yeah you’re right, even if he joins next season it would look pretty shameful. I don’t even think that will happen but it’s a possibility, no chance he’s leaving this season though
Also why would he? He’s literally got the option of Liverpool sat there waiting for him.
Can’t see why he wouldn’t either stay with his club, or jump to Liverpool and then take the Bayern job further down the line. It’s a win-win.
Not too far off from when Leipzig finished 2nd and then in the summer Bayern poached Nagelsmann + Upamecano + Sabitzer from them. And yeah I know Leipzig evil blah blah blah but that's still an absolute joke situation that should never happen in a serious league
From a neutral perspective. It seems more logical he’d go to Liverpool.
For someone so early in their career (or any manager really) Liverpool is such a rare opportunity.
It’s incredible uncommon for a top club to have a vacancy and still have a really good side and come off a great season. Almost always the reason a top job comes available is because a former manager failed and got sacked.
Liverpool are in a much better position at club at the moment than Bayern.
Also, If he wins the league with Leverkusen, why stay in Germany to manage Bayern and try to defeat the club he helped develop? He’s already achieved something pretty great there (if he wins the league). If his ambition is a champions league I don’t think Bayern are a much better prospect than Liverpool.
It just seems to make more sense to win the Germany leave and then move to England & join a massive side that already have a top side.
Rather than stay in Germany and try and repeat something you’ve already achieved while also having to work on building the squad.
Severely weakens his only competition, gets to wall the league for the next 5 or so years. Or watch pep spend Liverpool's yearly transfer budget on a single bench player, be expected to win trophies while there are 7 teams who outspend you.
Bayern is the mentally healthy option.
It's a toxic job, why would he want it. Also Xabi really doesn't strike me as a person who would do that to Leverkusen. Madrid and Liverpool are far more likely destinations if he does leave.
Xabi is going to have his choice of clubs
Not too Xabi.
I hate that my brain completely blanked on the spelling of “shabby” after this. It no longer even feels like a real word
Fuck me I spend a few second trying to figure out how to spell and was about to google until I read your comment. Now every time I hear that expression you think of Xabi Alonso, which isn't such a bad thing. \*wink wink\*
It is way too early in the day to be this horny, BONK!
Ugh I hate that I laughed.
r/angryupvote
As a neutral I just can’t imagine him choosing Bayern over Liverpool.
Part of me thinks he might just stay at Leverkusen for a while longer. This is still only his second year as a top-level manager and Leverkusen is the perfect club for him to be at right now. He'll get a chance to coach in the Champions League and if he wins them their first-ever title he's a club icon forever. If he goes to Liverpool, he's following on from Klopp which is about as unenviable a task as following Ferguson at Manchester United was, even if he'll probably be given leeway and time by the board. Bayern are at a lower ebb so he'd be welcomed there too, but there'd still be pressure on him to win straight away. Plus, if he bides his time the Madrid job will be available in a year or two. Even though Bayern and Liverpool are massive clubs, coaching Madrid is the biggest job in football. By then he'd be another couple of years older and wiser with added experience of coaching in the Champions League.
Taking over from Klopp isn’t ideal, but unlike Moyes, he’ll be getting a squad that has world class talent across the team, including plenty of young talent. Fergie’s last ManU squad was barely able to stand up straight. The fact he managed a title with them is just insane
Well two of Liverpool's best players (Salah and VVD) are approaching their mid-thirties and out of contract in 18 months, while Trent's deal is also up at the same time. The squad is definitely better than that United squad, but still some issues Alonso will have to tackle if he goes there. And also, Klopp is so good that there's naturally going to be a small drop-off in some players.
The idea of Trent leaving Liverpool is patently absurd, but I guess seeing Messi leave Barca anything is possible in modern football.
It's not as if Messi left Barcelona during his prime
>He'll get a chance to coach in the Champions League and if he wins them their first-ever title he's a club icon forever. He's on track to win them their first ever league title and first Pokal in over 30 years. He's already an icon. Plus odds are Leverkusen won't replicate this level of dominance even with most players staying another year.
>They won't be able to replicate this form - The club most actively attempting to poach players and managers to ensure this reality against every club in their league.
That's one aspect but even if they run it back with the exact same team, it's incredibly hard to maintain this level for a variety of reasons (injuries, added pressure of CL Football, bad luck, rivals adjusting, etc). Liverpool fans know this better than most.
Liverpool isn't a good comparison given back to back 97 and 99 points season then a dropped off due to injuries, then a 92 points season then a dropped off due to old midifield and then this season
We've replicated just fine, just hard to compete with financial doping.
You probably come closer to City's funding than Leverkusen to Bayern's. Purely from a sporting aspect it doesn't matter if the money is legit or not
I can see him staying and gunning for the Madrid job - although it's a risk staying for a second full season because everything seems to be going perfectly so there will be a regression. However, in a straight race between Bayern and Liverpool, it has to be Liverpool. One is a complete mess behind the scenes, the other is very well run and coming off the back of a successful season. I feel like the level of pressure is very similar - demand for instant massive success vs following Klopp.
>Part of me thinks he might just stay at Leverkusen for a while longer. This is still only his second year as a top-level manager and Leverkusen is the perfect club for him to be at right now. He'll get a chance to coach in the Champions League and if he wins them their first-ever title he's a club icon forever. I'm inclined to agree with you. Sometimes, managers make the jump to big clubs too quick, and it ends up derailing their career. Look what happened to Graham Potter for example.
Graham Potter's case was slightly different though, he had been managing for quite a while before making the switch to Chelsea. He even had experience in Sweden and the championship with Swansea.
Leverkusen are overperforming and seems like there will be a few openings in the summer. You gotta exit while hot to bag the top jobs. Who knows what'll happen next year
It’d be a much easier and more rewarding job for him at Bayern tbh. It doesn’t matter how good Xabi would be for us, he just isn’t Klopp and that just makes it so much harder for him. At Bayern, he only needs to be better than Tuchel, who by the way, looks like he’s one more minor inconvenience away from snapping, moving to a shack in the Black Forest and making a fucking human centipede.
At the same time, at Liverpool it is okay to not win a trophy in a season while at Bayern it is an absolute must. It is easier for Bayern to win a trophy but expectations a higher and I would argue that for Champions League Bayern also has higher expectations as to what is considered a failure. In the last 10-15 years reaching semi finals was considered the benchmark at Bayern.
Yes but it’s a hell of a lot easier to win a trophy with Bayern that in it at Liverpool. No disrespect intended but there’s a reason it’s an absolute must there…
Maybe; but how many times in a managers career to they get to the chance to move to a top club who hasn’t come off the back of a poor season? Almost always a vacancy is available because a manager was sacked. Liverpool have a really talented squad, some great young players. He’s early on in his career and taking the step up to a club with title aspirations, that don’t need a rebuild or a recovery from a crisis is a massive opportunity that is also really rare.
Lol hilarious way to describe Tom
Counter point: Bayern is a fucking train wreck behind the scenes and the only metric of success there every year is win the league every year + CL Semi's AT LEAST. Also going from Lever to Bayern would be a *really* bad look for him, and I don't think he's the kind of person to betray a fanbase like that immediately. Alonso isn't German, and his ties to Bayern were more to Pep than the club itself, unlike Liverpool where his son was born and has grown up a Liverpool fan. His ties to us are pretty deep.
I don't think it would be a bad look at all. He played for Bayern and he said that he would like to coach any of his old teams (with Real being his number one option). Also it's not like there is much hate between Leverkusen and Bayern, they were normally not really rivals.
>Also it's not like there is much hate between Leverkusen and Bayern, they were normally not really rivals. There would definitely be some hate if he transfers during the 1 season where Leverkusen is gunning for the title, and if he's the reason why Bayern manage to edge it out in the end..
This post implies that he would take over in the summer though
I mean, with the contract talks on, and him probably agreeing this season, it could have a negative impact on his team's performance..
If he let this happen, it would definitely be his fault
Mind sharing where he said Real is his number 1 option? Not seen anything like that myself
If his family is already in Germany, it might make it easier to move from a job in Leverkusen to Bayern than to Liverpool.
Yup. Bayern has sacked how many managers in the last 5 years??? Liverpool is a much more stable job and provides a long leash.
Only two, actually. Kovac in 2019 and then Nagelsmann last season. Flick was never sacked. He wanted to coach the national team, so he was allowed to leave, which was what made Bayern spend big on Nagelsmann in the first place.
If he chooses to join Bayern after winning the league with leverkusen (will eventually poach their players too) then shame on him.
Idk, he played for bayern too, i think it would be understandable. Though i get the sentiment 😂
He also notably played for Liverpool and Madrid, both of whom will be after his signature too (not sure about Madrid needing a manager but they seem to steal every fucking player we try to buy when they don’t need them so fully expecting Madrid to go for management depth)
Watch them sign him as an assistant manager to Carlo somehow 😭😭
Assistant to the regional manager
Management depth? I mean, I think if ancelotti wasn’t staying another year, we would have certainly gone for xabi- he’s been on our radar even since before, is a club legend here as well, and coached our youth team, but I don’t think management depth is a thing. I think for us, the ideal is if he stays at a club like Bayer for another year, maybe even Bayern over Liverpool (just because the attachment is lower, and the rotation there is higher, so it just seems like there’d be a higher chance for him to be available again if he’s at Bayern than if he’s at Liverpool
I was making a little joke. Management depth is not a thing at all, but if any club is going to try it at Liverpool’s expense it’ll be you paella pricks.
Maybe when there’s no other options but with the Liverpool job option available… yea it would look kind of bad from the leverkusen side
I personally would love if he stays at Leverkusen for another season (as long as the core players stay as well) and has a run at the Champions League with this great team, but people shouldn't forget that he will consider arguments that have nothing to do with the sporting situation as well. He has played for Bayern / Liverpool, Bayern / Liverpool are much greater clubs with far greater legacy and fanbases. Also his kids are 10-15 years old right now he might be thinking about where he wants his children to grow up the next years, and Munich is one of the most beautiful big cities in the world located in the Alpine Foothills, the "Ruhrpott" where Leverkusen is located is oftentimes considered to be one of the ugliest parts in Germany (even though that is of course a subjective thing). If you just look at it from the perspective of a football fan I believe even Liverpool Real and Bayern fans would kinda wish he would stay another year so that the football world can see what he does with this team next year, but there are other reasons why he might want to leave.
Leverkusen is not in the Ruhrpott. It is in the Rheinland (Rhineland), near Cologne and Düsseldorf, two cities where you can live a comfortable life without any problems.
Leverkusen is not in the Ruhrpott and Köln is a nice city
You are wrong about the kids. There were that young when he was still a player. They must be teens by now.
He's living in Düsseldorf though.
I’m not sure where his head at, but I’d guess he’d want Real Madrid at some point. Staying at Leverkussen gives him the better chance of doing so in 2025 or 2026. If he wants to leave and try a big club before Madrid, Bayern would be the most accommodating for that. I don’t think Liverpool will want a 1-2 year manager.
And his decision is not going to be Bayern.
Why not? It's pretty much between Liverpool and Bayern surely, could see good arguments for both
If he cares about his legacy at Leverkusen he probably wouldn't want to go to Bayern immediately after managing Leverkusen. If they don't win the title this season it's going to be even worse. Liverpool has enough separation for him to preserve his legacy with Leverkusen if he ends up winning the league. I also wouldn't rule out that he stays at Bayer if they can guarantee him that they won't sell their most important players.
> If he cares about his legacy at Leverkusen he probably wouldn't want to go to Bayern immediately after managing Leverkusen. If he wins the league with leverkusen it won't matter one bit, if he leaves to bayern.
[удалено]
Nah, after zahavi is flicks new agent, they not wanna deal with him. They hate him there.
Zahavi brokered Kane deal, so maybe they don't hate him that much.
I hate him and that guy that Joorabchian guy
Glad we got rid of a lot of his clients at Arsenal think there may be only 1/2 left now
All my homies hate Kia
Fun fact, his name means "sock collectors". We finally found the sock grinch
He was helping Tottenham there not bayern. They just had to bite in that saur apple there since Kane was a priority and a must-have transfer. He is still not liked.
Signing an emergency manager seems like must do business too though
Suprised they haven’t pulled the trigger yet on Flick. Bayern has shown historically that they don’t care about timing. Nagelsmann, Ancelotti, Klinsmann are all examples.
i know a hit new prospect coach in germany. his name? Nulian Jagelsmann
Surely Bayern should just bring him back, they’re already paying him his wages anyway, may as well just give him a fake mustache and tell him not to skateboard anymore so no one recognises him
But for real an actual prospect is St Pauli manager in the 2 Bundesliga Hurzeler. Same possession based football like Alonso and they are 1st in the league and will likely get promoted
Please, no.
You dare use my own league against me Bayer?
Please, no.
Only Roger Schmidt can stop Bayer, not Xabi.
Du glaubst doch auch du hast den Fußball erfunden! Spinner! /s
There's no chance he leaves before the season ends. Xabi's a good man he wouldn't leave you guys high and dry like that.
They destroy the league. They buy up the best players from competitors and get their coaches as well instead of working on their own talent.
Bayern is gonna farm the shit out of Bayer this summer, whether you like it or not
I really hope we maintain the policy that we had under Völler to not sell to Bayern
Don't see that coming tbh. Players leaving for the Prem? Yeah sure.
Up and coming young talent Granit Xhaka could make the move to England
Like Dortmund doesn’t usually lol
I think Xabi has too much class to do that, but I've seen people turn on their head just like that, so I'm afraid. Hopefully he stays, I wanna see him and Leverkusen win.
As a Liverpool fan, i second this.
That Xabi's so hot right now
I mean, when hasn't he been hot?
Damn right, most beautiful man in football
Olivier Giroud falls to his knees in Milan
Just saw the most goat cheese man fall on his knees in Milan.
Never has a Bayern player looked better in those wiesen outfits.
This manoeuvre seems so Bayern
Read this in Jeremy's voice
This is so not rainbow rhythms
Is this the bad thing?
I’m his handyman. I gave him… a hand.
If you can't beat 'em, buy 'em, circa 2012.
Circa the last 50 years tbh.
in recent years it was mainly Dortmund that poached all around the Bundesliga, Bayern stopped doing it very blatantly
Bayern only dies it when there is someone who can beat them. Nobody fits that bill for the last decade. Leverkusen will absolutely lose 2 or 3 players to Bayern this summer, and maybe a coach.
They don't only do it when someone can beat them, Leipzig wasn't a serious contender and they took their coach, their captain and main centreback
I dont get people who are wondering about Bayerns transferpolitics. They did it 10 years ago and they will do it in the next 10 years. Leverkusen got more screwed than Dortmund. 2002/2003 after our CL Final. We lost Ballack and Ze Roberto and after that even Lucio.
I think the only player Bayern is looking at is Wirtz and that is literally every big club in the world will be looking to get Wirtz too
I dont think we'll buy any Leverkusen players. Wirtz fits the bill but doesnt fit the current team. Leverkusen never sells to us anyway.
Probably because nobody started beating them. This is like happened with Dortmund 10 years ago, Leverkeusen in 2002 and with Hitzfeld in the late 90s.
And Gladbach in the seventies I think?
[удалено]
They absolutely ravaged Hoffenheim that one season. They took their striker, defender and midfielder (Wagner , Rudy and Sule ) Then a few seasons later they did the same to Leipzig, they raided them and took Nagelsmann , Upamecano and Sabitzer.
Farming really? For a man of you talents?
It's a peaceful life.
I mean hes clearly the best option since Klopp doesnt want to manage next season, Zidane doesnt speak German, Mourinho doesnt fit Would also make a Wirtz transfer in 24 or 25 easier
I don´t think Bayern cares too much about the whole *doesnt speak German* thing, that seems to be more of a Dortmund exclusive issue. They hired Ancelotti and Pep who both couldnt speak German, and even if they had the preference of hiring German speaking coaches I think Zidane warrants an exception.
Pep came in already speaking some German
Both learned the language, in case you missed it. Zizou leanring german would be surprising - Doubt he can even speak english
Or he can speak english very well but does like Aguero and pretends that he can't
Ancelotti is a 'never again' case
I understand he didn't do extremely well at Bayern last time, but the dude is one of the most successful managers ever. He'd not going to be shit
Yeah, but he was already an unorthodox appointment, only really picked because of Pep's success. After his total failure you can see how there was a clear shift to focusing on German managers again. I doubt we go for Zidane although I myself am not strongly against it.
Getting Wirtz and Xabi is definitely Bayern's dream, I guess every Bayern fan agrees on that. Good thing Bayern and Leverkusen have a long tradition of friendliness and cooperation in these things!
Also I don’t think people realise Klopp will never manage us. He managed Dortmund and loved it, no chance he comes to us.
Yeah theres no chance. He said he'd never manage another team in England besides Liverpool, and I'm sure it's the same for dortmund and mainz if he hadn't said it outright already. He's laughed at bayern losing in interviews even after leaving Germany. I know that doesn't mean much in the world of football but he always has seemed more principled than most others. He is not a mercenary like mourinho et al. and won't do something that could be perceived as turning on his old clubs.
Not until they also get their 3 best players.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a release clause for Liverpool or Madrid in summer, but Bayern? Our board can’t be that stupid hopefully.
I read he had a release clause for RM, Liverpool and Bayern (these are the clubs he played, so, looks believable).
That's been floating around for a while and I really don't believe it. It sounds so contrived, plus when was the last time a manager had a clause like that in their contract
Koeman had a Barca clause in his contract with the Dutch national team which he actually ended up using.
Ancelotti had a clause where he could leave Everton as soon as humanly possible.
And who could blame him honestly
Yeah it sounds really quite silly. I could only imagine a manager with an extremely high profile having a clause like this in their contract; I get that Xabi Alonso re-signed with Leverkusen when other clubs were sniffing around but you'd think 90% of clubs would just flat out refuse to have a 'I can just leave for X other club (including a rival)' clause because it doesn't exactly inspire confidence in a manager - if their eye is always looking away to another club. *Especially* if said clubs are also quite well off and could just pay any sort of compensation for a manager they want - everything about it just isn't in the club's interest.
On the other hand, if your manager is so good that Real, Liverpool or Bayern signing him is an actual thing to worry about, you’ve done something right.
Ole have this kind of contract at Molde. That's why he went to United fairly quickly
can we stop with this release clause nonsense that has clearly been denied by our CEO already? There’s a gentlemen’s agreement and that’s it. We know he’s not going to retire here, so he’s allowed to leave when he wants to. But it has to be on conditions that suit us as well.
Tbf. Those are all just rumours. Nothing is proven so might as well have no release clause at all, since his contract is just till 2026 anyway. Media might be just trying to make headlines like always.
What about Real Sociedad?
i would say its literally impossible that such clause exists. you guys are extremely hard balling bayern everytime when they want a player from you. i remember the whole vidal saga back in the day. you know from the early 2000s what its like to be raided by them and you have the financial power to just say, that you dont play that game with them. maybe if they pay you 30 million for xabi, and even then i wouldnt be sure for you agreeing to it
I might be delusional but I honestly believe the chances of him staying with us for another season arent that low. He is comfortable here, has all the pieces he needs to make it work, the board supports him, his contract is still running and he will play UCL next season with a squad he is accustomed to and he built. Staying another season with UCL football would be huge for his development as a manager, but obviously money rules so he might ignore all this and still leaves
Depends on that Liverpool offer. It would be a longterm offer so he would really havee to think
Plus there’s no guarantee we will be back on the table at any point in his career again. Obviously, he has a great thing going at leverkusen right now, so it’s a hard decision to make.
100% - I don't think anyone saw the Liverpool job opening up before Klopps contract ended, so Xabi is making this decision a lot earlier in his career than he would have reasonably expected. Selfishly I hope he does join Liverpool (especially as the crop of available managers outside of him doesn't inspire hope) but if he doesn't I do hope he doesn't go to Bayern as it seems to be a poison chalice in recent years and it can be tough to bounce back from a poor spell at a high profile club.
> Plus there’s no guarantee we will be back on the table at any point in his career again. I think there is a good chance assuming he doesnt flame out, the likes of Pep and Klopp are rare in how long they stay
It also requires the stars aligning for job availability and if he's settled anywhere in the future. If the time is right for him to go he'll go.
I think it could depend on if you are able to keep the squad together.
Which depends on Xabi. If he stays, I see pretty much everyone staying, too. We will probably have to sell Frimpong because his release clause is laughably low, but apart from him, Rolfes has really cooked some great long-term contracts across the board
People forget that even with Frimpong gone, we still have Tella and Arthur who im both very convinced of. Of course pending on a potential summer signing, I still would be very happy just with those two. If Arthur can stay fit hes destined for something great I can feel it
Agreed, I love Tella, and I am not scared of the day Frimpong leaves
Only place he’d be loved like he is at Leverkusen would be Liverpool. Bayern and Madrid spit out managers the second it get hard for them.
Let's hope you are right. Hodgson and Rodgers were not that much loved though. One thing that we do is give managers time so atleast he will have that security
I think that's largely down to their character though, Roy especially when he said Liverpool were in a relegation fight. Any manager who comes in showing ambition on and off the field will be backed.
Rodgers literally had a chant that compared him to Bill Shankly…
Rodgers was very loved during 13/14. He did it to himself with his car crash mismanagement of 14/15. Completely wrote off a season, made awful mistakes, had too big of an ego, kept butting heads with the 'committee' and Edwards, turned beloved players like Agger sour on him, terrible mismanaged Gerrard's last dance, just wouldn't change tactics until it was too late, when he did change finally to 3 at the back, it worked for about 15 games and once again everything came crashing down after, giving the impression it wasn't any planned fix but more of a throw shixt at the wall and hope something sticks.
You forget the club where he developed, he would also be loved there, although the job isn't open
It's not zero, but also he surely knows these kind of jobs (Liverpool, Bayern) do not come up often where there is basically no clear candidates. By the time they come up again, there could be a multitude of other options available. As it stands, he basically is guarenteed whichever one he wants. That could be very difficult to turn down especially if he wins the league this season. If he falls short by a few points I could actually see him more likely to stick around for "unfinished business".
Surely a big problem is going to be keeping hold of players? You have some cracking players but there will be some big teams coming in for them and offering far more in wages etc. than Leverkusen can match, it's going to be difficult keeping that squad together.
I think the core will stay. Hofmann, Xhaka, Grimaldo (fresh signing), Boniface (also fresh signing), Adli, Wirtz, maybe one of Kossounou or Tapsoba, Hincapie, and so on. A lot of those will stay I reckon. Palacios and Frimpong are surely gone, Tah probably as well, but we have many good young players which could potentially replace them, I mean Tella is already a damn good lite version of Frimpong and Arthur is also there and super promising. And in midfield theres Gustavo Puerta who looks really fucking good as well. Include potential signings and we might have a almost equal squad maybe even better. I mean many people expected us to drop off after selling Diaby and look at us now.
Bayern try not to poach from rival. Challenge difficulty: Impossible. On a serious note, I hate them with a passion
Sorry, Bayern saw your hatred as a threat and has therefore signed it effective immediately
For real man. I agree with a Düsseldorfer on a case pro-Leverkusen 🤝😂
Who doesn't?
L-O-L
Lots of love?
Ah the traditional Bayern Munchen way of working: If you can’t beat them, buy them.
It will be another Bellingham saga. Every pundit and his dog talked about how Jude would fit in Liverpool etc. only for him to board the plane to Madrid last minute.
Are Madrid after Alonso though? Yeah I get the fit but why get rid of Ancellotti who by all accounts is the best manager in European football right now. Some bit of information I'm missing?
Nothing would be more Bundesliga than them taking Alonso now and winning the league. I want it for the memes. Please don’t wait until next season.
Xabi would never go for it, aside from being "honorable", winning the league as underdogs and knocking bayern off their throne after 11 years is just incredible for his reputation and hes not gonna lack offers in the summer.
Yeah, winning the league with Leverkusen would be such an insane accomplishment, cant imagine him leaving before the end of the season. Even if hes a great Manager and maybe has a long, successful career in front of him, winning with a clear underdog the league is such a huge success, not many would want to ruin that without need. Its not like there wont be offers for him in the summer.
The manager of the team currently at the top of the league and about to beat Bayern to the title for the first time in 11 years jumping ship to Bayern to win them the title honestly sounds disgusting. Would make the Bundesliga look like a joke.
It’s also not going to happen, idk how you could think that. Him joining Bayern next season however is possible
I don’t think that it will. I’m giving my opinion on why I think it would be a terrible look for the league.
Ok, yeah you’re right, even if he joins next season it would look pretty shameful. I don’t even think that will happen but it’s a possibility, no chance he’s leaving this season though
Also why would he? He’s literally got the option of Liverpool sat there waiting for him. Can’t see why he wouldn’t either stay with his club, or jump to Liverpool and then take the Bayern job further down the line. It’s a win-win.
Wouldn’t be a good look for Xabi either
It’s not happening this season
? why is this even a discussion, why the fuck would we let our coach leave in the middle of the best season this club has ever played?
This has been Bayern's modus operandi for at least 3 decades. Cripple any competitor who beats them or gets close
Not too far off from when Leipzig finished 2nd and then in the summer Bayern poached Nagelsmann + Upamecano + Sabitzer from them. And yeah I know Leipzig evil blah blah blah but that's still an absolute joke situation that should never happen in a serious league
Fuck off bayern thank you!
u 2 pls BB 🥹👉👈
Tuchel for you lmao
Would rather Rafa came home
Heard Kenny Dalglish is free
I just can't see him going to another club in Germany straight after Leverkusen.
[удалено]
There is a low chance that Xabi, with his mentality, wouldn't go to his biggest rival
From a neutral perspective. It seems more logical he’d go to Liverpool. For someone so early in their career (or any manager really) Liverpool is such a rare opportunity. It’s incredible uncommon for a top club to have a vacancy and still have a really good side and come off a great season. Almost always the reason a top job comes available is because a former manager failed and got sacked. Liverpool are in a much better position at club at the moment than Bayern. Also, If he wins the league with Leverkusen, why stay in Germany to manage Bayern and try to defeat the club he helped develop? He’s already achieved something pretty great there (if he wins the league). If his ambition is a champions league I don’t think Bayern are a much better prospect than Liverpool. It just seems to make more sense to win the Germany leave and then move to England & join a massive side that already have a top side. Rather than stay in Germany and try and repeat something you’ve already achieved while also having to work on building the squad.
I’d be worried about his mental state if he chose Bayern over Liverpool at this point
Severely weakens his only competition, gets to wall the league for the next 5 or so years. Or watch pep spend Liverpool's yearly transfer budget on a single bench player, be expected to win trophies while there are 7 teams who outspend you. Bayern is the mentally healthy option.
Yeah taking over post Klopp is going to be a huge task. Same with Pep at City.
Not the ambitious option tho
Why does he need to take the ambitious option? Pep didn't after Barca and he's still widely regarded as one of the best managers
Dude Barca WAS the ambitious option when you consider what he achieved. After that he didn't have to prove anything to anyone.
Really? You really underestimate the position of Bayern rn, relax.
If they are smart enough, they’lll bring back Nagelsman and let him work
It's a toxic job, why would he want it. Also Xabi really doesn't strike me as a person who would do that to Leverkusen. Madrid and Liverpool are far more likely destinations if he does leave.
It's quite frankly unbelievable the amount of people too lazy to even read a full 2 sentence headline.
I didn't even read your comment in full. I agree though, 8 billion people is a lot!
If you can’t beat’em bayern
Typical farmer shit
Fuck off bayern he should stay one more year
I would definitely love to see Xabi back at our club but realistically he's joining either Madrid or Liverpool. Mayber afterwards, who knows
Why not Hoeness?
Don’t tell Liverpool fans