He may lead Bayer Leverkusen to an ‘Invincibles’ season, but so what? Managers are often judged by their ambition, and Xabi Alonso could live to regret his finite hunger

Xabi Alonso’s decision to reject the Liverpool job could go down as the most calamitous decision on Merseyside since Decca record label magnate Dick Rowe turned down the Beatles.

Not many people get the chance to recline in the manager’s seat at Anfield.

In the last 65 years, only 11 men since Bill Shankly have had the privilege. Fewer still are offered the Liverpool and Bayern Munich jobs simultaneously – and turn them both down.

Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso has decided to stay at the BayArena – spurning Liverpool’s advances (Image: CLEMENS BILAN/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Football’s wise sages commended Alonso’s loyalty to Bayer Leverkusen, the German Invincibles who are unbeaten in 41 competitive games under his tutelage this season and face West Ham in the Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday night.

And at 42, he is still young enough to make his presence felt as a coach at one of Europe’s citadels in future, whether that may be Anfield, the Allianz Arena, the Nou Camp, Santiago Bernabeu or Vicarage Road.

But what does it say about his ambition when Alonso turns down the Liver bird and the powerhouse of Bavaria? Those jobs may not become available again for five years or more if Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel’s successors make a good fist of them.

According to Sky Germany, Liverpool have reached a verbal agreement with Sporting Lisbon head coach Ruben Amorim to take over from Klopp.

If Amorim, who led Sporting to their first league title in Portugal for 19 years, transplants his 3-4-3 formation from Lisbon to Merseyside successfully, Alonso won’t get another look-in at Anfield any time soon.

Ruben Amorim is now the favourite for the Liverpool job (
Image:
Getty Images)
Sure, Leverkusen are going to win the Bundesliga. They are 14 points clear with six games left, – not even Devon Loch could blow such a handsome lead. And they are favourites to end West Ham’s latest trawl of the continent in the Europa League quarter-finals, with the first leg at the BayArena on Thursday night.

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But where do Alonso and Leverkusen go next season? What happens if Leverkusen go through the whole 2023-24 league campaign unbeaten? How is he going to top that?

What happens if they win the Treble – Bundesliga, German Cup and Europa League – how many frontiers does that leave him to conquer at the BayArena? Yes, the challenge of Champions League football is inviting and nobody could blame Alonso for wanting a crack at that.

But Liverpool and Bayern Munich could offer him the same ticket next season – on much larger budgets.

Jurgen Klopp is stepping down at Liverpool (
Image:
Nigel Keene/ProSports/REX/Shutterstock)
The voice of reason, former Sky Sports anchorman Mr Richard Keys, accused Alonso of ‘bottling’ the Liverpool job, saying: “At no other time in history will jobs at Liverpool, Munich, Manchester United, and maybe Real Madrid be available again.

“Right now, he can have his pick. At no other point in his career going forward will he be in this luxurious position again.

“I would question the size of his cojones. They are ‘Leicesterkusen’ because Bayer Leverkusen will never again have a season like this. Bayern Munich next season will make sure they have another decade of domination in German football and Leverkusen may pick up a cup here and there.”

Bottler? Cojones? Bit harsh.

Xabi Alonso has guided Bayer Leverkusen to 41 matches unbeaten this season (
Image:
Getty Images)

Alonso believes Leverkusen is “the right place for me to develop as a coach” and he wants to reward them for giving him his first senior management role with a bit of loyalty.

In a cut-throat business like football, we must respect his decision and perhaps even admire it. But ambition is often a prime indicator of a manager’s ability, or at least faith in his own ability. And if the Liverpool job never enters his radar again, guardians of the Kop will be forever grateful of Alonso’s contribution to the miracle of Istanbul in 2005… and wondering if he missed the boat for a sequel as manager.