Alonso says he's leaving Bayer Leverkusen ahead of expected move to Real Madrid

LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AP) — Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso is leaving the German club after this season, ahead of an expected move to Real Madrid.

“This is the right moment to announce it,” the Spanish coach said Friday, ahead of what will be his final home game on Sunday. “Clarity is good for everyone.”

The 43-year-old Alonso ended weeks of speculation by informing his players before Friday’s training session that he was leaving, one year before his contract with the club expires in 2026.

Alonso, a former Madrid player, led Leverkusen to an unprecedented league and cup double last season after taking over the team when it was in the Bundesliga’s relegation zone in October 2022.

“I think that we can be happy, we can proud of what we have achieved during this time,” Alonso said.

His Leverkusen team remains the only one to complete a Bundesliga season unbeaten.

However, it was a tall order to replicate that form this season. Leverkusen conceded the league title to Bayern Munich last weekend with two games left to play.

“I have tried to squeeze them as much as possible. They have given me so much, so maybe we are empty right now,” Alonso said of his players.

The Leverkusen job was Alonso's first in senior management after a stellar playing career with Madrid, Liverpool, and Bayern. He spent three years as a reserve-team coach at Real Sociedad, another former club. He started his coaching career at Madrid’s youth setup.

“I have learned so many things and I have improved as a coach, as someone that needs to have more resources for myself, for the future,” Alonso said of his time in Leverkusen. “It has worked pretty well, I would say.”

He remembered his first meeting with Leverkusen chief executive Fernando Carro and sporting director Simon Rolfes in San Sebastian, Spain, when they convinced him to take over their under-performing team.

“We had some ideas, some expectations. So once you fulfill them, you can say that the job was done,” Alonso said.

He declined to say where he will be going next.

“Now is not the day to talk about the future,” said Alonso, who is reportedly the lead candidate to replace Carlo Ancelotti at Madrid.

Ancelotti is under contract until the end of next season, but he is widely expected to leave after a campaign in which Madrid struggled despite adding Kylian Mbappé to its squad.

Ancelotti faces a huge match on Sunday when Madrid visits Barcelona, trailing its rival by four points and needing a victory to maintain hope of defending its La Liga title.

Brazil has been courting Ancelotti for over a year but talks about the national team job have dragged on. Ancelotti has deflected questions on his future by saying he will announce his plans when the season ends.

Alonso's final two Bundesliga games with Leverkusen are against Borussia Dortmund at home on Sunday, before a visit to Mainz on the final day of the season.

He is sure to be shown affection from fans of a club previously known as “Bayer Neverkusen" for five runner-up finishes in the Bundesliga and a series of painful defeats in finals. Alonso is confident those days are gone.

“In the club, they are very intelligent and very well-prepared people that will take the club in the right direction, the same way that they have done till now. I will always be there to help in the best possible way I can, because this doesn’t vanish,” Alonso said. “I want to still have this bond with Bayer 04, because that stays forever.”

Rolfes in a Leverkusen statement described Alonso's time as a “milestone in the development” of the club.

"Together with Xabi we put together a team that has impressed the whole football world with its sporting quality and mentality,” Rolfes said.

The club said it will announce a successor “in due course.” Cesc Fabregas, coach of Italian team Como, and Erik ten Hag, who was last in charge of Manchester United, are reported candidates.

Alonso denied a report from the Bild tabloid that Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz had informed him he wished to join Bayern and not Madrid or Manchester City. All three clubs are reportedly interested and Wirtz has said he'd welcome a new challenge.

Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah is also leaving the club with his contract up at the end of the season.

Asked if he had promised Carro and Rolfes not to take any Leverkusen players with him to his next club, Alonso laughed.

“No promise,” he said.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer