Michael Ballack has praised Xabi Alonso for turning down Liverpool and Bayern Munich and staying at Bundesliga high-flyers Bayer Leverkusen.
Both clubs had reportedly put Alonso high on their wanted list as they search for a new manager this summer, but the former Anfield star has chosen to stay and continue the incredible job he's done with Leverkusen this season.
Under Alonso's leadership, Bayer Leverkusen has surged ahead in the Bundesliga, leading by a staggering 13 points. The team is on track to secure their first-ever league title, having not lost this season. They have also advanced to the final of the German Cup and the quarter-finals of the Europa League, where they are set to face West Ham.
Ballack told William Hill’s podcast, Up Front with Simon Jordan, that he believes Alonso made the right call in sticking with Leverkusen and can build something at the club.
“Alonso has the natural acceptance from his players as a former world-class player," he said.
"You know you have this respect from the players which you cannot ask for if you’re a ‘normal’ coach, but this doesn’t mean you’re a great coach. He has the character, the voice, the attitude, the personality and he knows how to win. He brings a lot of things together that are combined in a very good and balanced way.
“I think he’d fit both Bayern Munich and Liverpool. For me, the timing is the question. Stepping into Jurgen Klopp’s footprints at Liverpool at this time is not the easiest move. This would be a big, big move. I don’t think he’s scared. Bayern Munich is also a big challenge because there’s another level of expectation compared to Bayer Leverkusen. But it would be good timing to go there because they mightn’t have won something by the summer, which is rare.
“But why should he not stay another year at Bayer Leverkusen, enjoying the position he’s already built? He is respected. Everyone is behind him at the club. Why don’t you build something at Bayer Leverkusen?”
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