Uli Hoeness says ‘probably impossible’ to lure Xabi Alonso from Bayer in summer

Reported Liverpool managerial target Xabi Alonso is unlikely to jump ship from Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen, according to Bayern Munich honorary president Uli Hoeness.

The 42-year-old, who lifted the Champions League trophy in 2005 during his debut season with the Reds, has been a widely touted as a likely replacement for Jurgen Klopp, who in January announced he will stand down at the end of the season after eight-and-a-half decorated years at Anfield.

Bayern are thought to be one of the other clubs courting the Spaniard’s services, but Hoeness was highly pessimistic about anyone’s chances of luring Alonso away from Leverkusen.

He told Das Erste: “We’ll have to see if we can do it this year.

“It will be difficult, if not probably impossible. (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’s men are on course to secure the first Bundesliga title in the club’s history, sitting 10 points clear of Bayern Munich in second.

In February, their 2-1 victory over Mainz to make it 33 games unbeaten broke the German record for consecutive competitive matches without a loss,  surpassing Hansi Flick’s Bayern Munich team of 2020 and 2021.

They have since extended that run to 38 fixtures, most recently with a 3-2 victory over Freiburg before the international break.
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Liverpool assistant 'under consideration' to take charge of top European club
Pep Lijnders will leave Liverpool at the same time as Jurgen Klopp
Assistant coach set to become a manager in his own right
41-year-old is not in the conversation to take over at Anfield

By Jamie Spencer
Mar 28, 2024
Pep Lijnders is preparing for a fresh start away from Liverpool
Pep Lijnders is preparing for a fresh start away from Liverpool / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages
Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders is "under consideration" to become the new permanent Ajax boss as he prepares to branch out on his own when Jurgen Klopp leaves Anfield.

Lijnders has been on the Liverpool staff for the best part of the last ten years, briefly leaving for the first six months of 2018 for a short-lived spell in charge of Dutch club NEC Nijmegen. Since returning to Anfield, the 41-year-old has been a crucial part of the setup that has delivered Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup trophies.

Ready to move back into management six years on from Nijmegen, The Times writes that Lijnders has emerged as an contender for Ajax as they weigh up their options. John van 't Schip is currently in charge on an interim basis until the end of the season after replacing Maurice Steijn in October.

Lijnders was in contact with Ajax in January when he was consulted over the club's signing of former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson. Whatever job he gets, he is expected to take elite development coach Vitor Matos with him as the Portuguese is also set to leave Anfield when Klopp does.

Liverpool are famed for the historic 'Boot Room', which saw numerous managers from the 1960s through to the 1990s promoted into the top job after cutting their teeth on the coaching staff. But Lijnders hasn't really been in the conversation when it comes to replacing Klopp.

Pepijn Lijnders, Jurgen Klopp, Vitor Matos
Jurgen Klopp's main staff will all leave Liverpool when he does / Justin Setterfield/GettyImages
The Dutchman effectively ruled himself out of it, suggesting more than once he is looking forward to starting afresh somewhere as he challenges himself as a manager. Staying behind after Klopp had gone to assist the transition at Anfield wasn't an option for him either.

"I always said I will finish with Jurgen; the moment I will not assist anyone else, that’s the moment I will go and I will manage," Lijnders commented last month.

Waxing lyrical about his number two, Klopp said: "Pep especially is ready...ready to manage a football team and he wants to do that as well, so that's great, together with Vitor. If you change, change properly. And they are ready for the future and I'm really happy about that."

90min understands that Xabi Alonso, Roberto De Zerbi, Julian Nagelsmann and Ange Postecoglou are under serious consideration by Liverpool to replace Klopp. Ruben Amorim is admired but there is hesitance over his lack of elite experience, with Unai Emery and Roger Schmidt also discussed.

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Liverpool & Bayern Munich dealt major blow in Xabi Alonso pursuit
Xabi Alonso has been targeted by Liverpool & Bayern Munich
Spaniard has come to managerial prominence with Bayer Leverkusen
Latest development on his future is a major blow to his suitors

By Jamie Spencer
Mar 28, 2024
There has been a huge development in the Xabi Alonso saga
There has been a huge development in the Xabi Alonso saga / Alex Grimm/GettyImages
Liverpool appear set to throw in the towel in their pursuit of Xabi Alonso as a successor to Jurgen Klopp at Anfield, with the Spanish coach tipped to stay at Bayer Leverkusen.

Klopp's impending departure has left Liverpool needing a new manager for the first time since 2015. The Reds had wanted to secure the club's updated footballing structure before focusing their attention on a replacement for the legendary German, but have successfully appointed Michael Edwards in a more senior role than he had during his previous tenure and Richard Hughes.

Finding a head coach is next on the to-do list, but it suddenly seems unlikely to be Alonso.

The Times has reported that Liverpool have conducted due diligence that indicates Alonso is "minded to stay at Bayer Leverkusen for at least another season."

The 42-year-old has Leverkusen on the brink of their first ever Bundesliga title thanks to a ten-point lead over Bayern Munich with only eight games of the campaign left to play.

Xabi Alonso
Alonso was also wanted by Bayern Munich / Alex Grimm/GettyImages
Rather than waste valuable time and energy trying to convince Alonso otherwise, Liverpool are now expected to put more focus on different options instead. Bayern Munich had also been interested in Alonso as a replacement for Thomas Tuchel, set to depart this summer, although honorary president Uli Hoeness has communicated a similar defeatist stance to Liverpool.

"It will be difficult, if not probably impossible [to hire Alonso]. He is more inclined to stay at Bayer Leverkusen in view of their current successes, because he would not want to leave them behind," the Bayern chief explained to Das Erste in Germany.

Liverpool had placed Alonso among serious contenders on their seven-strong managerial shortlist alongside Roberto De Zerbi, Julian Nagelsmann and Ange Postecoglou. But with an approach now considered unlikely, it could change things and potentially strengthen Ruben Amorim's chances.

The Portuguese, currently in charge at Sporting CP, is admired by the Anfield hierarchy but a lack of experience managing in one of Europe’s top five leagues had previously counted against him.

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