Xabi Alonso renews with Bayer Leverkusen: how long is the new deal?
The Basque coach has extended his contract with Bayer Leverkusen and will face his first full season as coach of the German club.
Xabi Alonso has renewed with Bayer Leverkusen until 2026. The Spanish coach took the reins at the Bundesliga side in October 2022 as Gerardo Seoane’s replacement. In just eight months he transformed the team’s fortunes - from the worst start to a season since 1979 under Seoane, Xabi guided the team to the Europa League semi-final, in which they were beaten by Jose Mourinho’s Roma. Meanwhile in the Bundesliga, Leverkusen finished sixth and secured their place in this season’s Europa League.
Xabi was originally under contract until June 2024 but the extension will take him to 2026. Despite his relatively short time in coaching (he gained his license in 2018), Alonso has been linked with high-profile managerial positions at a number of Europe’s top clubs, including Real Madrid, Liverpool and Bayern Munich. The new deal will silence the rumour mill, at least to enable Xabi the chance to get through his first full season at the helm with Leverkusen.
The coach’s new contract will also come as a relief to the club. CEO Fernando Carro said, “Xabi’s meticulous, analytical and sophisticated style suits us very well here at Bayer 04. In addition, he finds in us and in the Bundesliga an excellent environment in which, as a still young coach, he can further refine his profile and develop”.
For his part, the former Real Sociedad B team coach stated: “I’m very happy because I am in a place where I feel supported. I feel as though I am being helped to develop my managerial career and learn as a coach - and apart from that, it’s great to be part of an ambitious project - a project that we want to improve and achieve big things. For me, to have that stability and to have that feeling that all of us at this club are heading in the same direction is fundamental for me at this stage of my career. I am very grateful for the trust that Bayer 04 has placed in me. I see last season as positive, but I want more, just like the club. I’d like to have a better team, one that can achieve something, to grow with the club and to help the team to improve, so we will continue to work with determination. ”.