Xabi’s Choice

AN ARTICLE BY MATTY

If anybody’s been reading the news lately, there’s one manager attracting the attention of top clubs and two top clubs with a vacancy in the manager’s role for next season. Inevitably Xabi Alonso will have to choose whether to stay in the Bundesliga with Bayern, or perhaps even stay with Leverkusen, or to make the move to his favorite club on Merseyside. The point of this article is to essentially paint the picture that Xabi is faced with, and why if he’s got any sense he’ll choose us or even Leverkusen over the sinking ship known as Bayern Munich.

Xabi Alonso’s case to stay with Leverkusen is honestly a pretty good one. He’s been given the financial support to build the team he wants, and with Bayern’s sudden downfall in Germany I wouldn’t be surprised if certain players such as Florian Wirtz decide now’s not the best time to join the Bavarians. Plus, Leverkusen offer safety and stability that the other two clubs might not. We know Bayern will almost certainly axe him at the first sign of trouble, just as they’ve done with every manager they’ve had for at least 15 years. And while Liverpool will offer a certain amount of patience, I wouldn’t be surprised if there weren’t calls for him to get the sack if he hypothetically didn’t do great in his first season as our boss. It must be noted that while he’s performed miracles with Leverkusen, this is still his first full season as a manager anywhere. He might decide to stick around for a while longer before he feels fully ready to take on a big club’s managerial role.

Bayern Munich are a mess right now. Davies is leaving either this summer or next after refusing a new contract, Kimmich’s form has fallen so far that he’s being shopped as well. Their two best players, Müller and Neuer, are 35 and 37 years old. Harry Kane left Tottenham and within a year has turned Bayern into the new Tottenham, with only 1000% more pressure to win trophies. Bayern’s core quite simply is too expensive and not good enough to contend for even the Bundesliga anymore, let alone European trophies, but the pressure from the fans and board means a rebuild is simply unacceptable. You have to win with the team you’re given, or you’re fired. Xabi could take this job but it’d be quite the job to turn this ship around. He wouldn’t be given much time to do it either.

I’m biased but I genuinely think the Liverpool job is the best job in the world right now. The squad is tactically versatile, predominantly young but not lacking strong veteran leadership from their world class core. You’d have the backing of the fans, but just as importantly the backing of the owners. The club has never been financially stronger, the new manager could come in with an estimated £400 million budget to reshape the team how he wishes. The new manager would also have the best youth academy in the world to nurture, a full eleven and half a bench of young talents ready to make their name in the first team. No club is set up better for future success. This doesn’t even factor in Xabi’s previous history with the club. He’d have special support from the fans because of his status as a Liverpool hero, meaning he’d have a very safe job unless the results truly become dire. He’d have job security, pick of the crop for young talent, world class players to deliver his message across, and future world class players to continue developing or even bring with him from Leverkusen. We could afford it after all. There are decent reasons why Alonso would choose any of the three predominant options he has right now. He could choose Leverkusen for development, he could choose Bayern for the challenge, and he could choose Liverpool for the opportunity. Ultimately it will come down to what he desires most.