8 months ago
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Xabi Alonso revealed he has dreamt of managing Liverpool in a talkSPORT interview that has resurfaced from 2018.
The former Reds midfielder has quickly been installed as the favourite to take over at Anfield following the news that Jurgen Klopp is to step down as boss at the end of the season.
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Alonso has been making waves since taking over as Bayer Leverkusen head coach in 2022, leading his unbeaten side to the top of the Bundesliga with 16 games remaining.
But the 42-year-old has never hidden his ambition of managing the Reds in the future and outlined his long-standing passion for the Merseyside club in an interview with Guillem Balague for talkSPORT back in 2018.
“Yeah for sure I have dreamt of that,” said Alonso when quizzed on whether he could see himself in the Anfield dugout in the future.
"First, I have to prove myself and to prepare.
“If I decide somewhere along the way to take my chances as a manager, my link, my commitment and my passion with Liverpool is there.
"Why not? We’ll see if we can cross paths in our ways.”
The Spaniard’s connections with Liverpool run deep - he was part of the Reds’ historic Champions League triumph in Istanbul in 2005, scoring his side’s equaliser after coming back from a three-goal deficit against AC Milan.
He made a total of 210 appearances for Liverpool and also lifted the FA Cup.
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The footballing Gods were perhaps at play on Friday, as Alonso sat down for a press conference just hours after Klopp's shock announcement.
Alonso was speaking ahead of Leverkusen's Bundesliga clash with Borussia Monchengladbach, but it presented reporters with the perfect opportunity to quiz him on the Liverpool links.
Emotional Jurgen Klopp makes shock announcement that he will leave Liverpool at the end of the season
However, for now, the Spaniard reaffirmed his happiness at the German league leaders.
“First of all it was a surprise,” said Alonso.
“I have huge respect for Jurgen, huge admiration before he came to Liverpool, and during his years there it has become even bigger for what he has achieved and how he achieved it.
“Speculation is normal, but my focus is here on Bayer Leverkusen.
“At the moment I am really happy here, enjoying my work here. Each day and each game is a challenge. We are enjoying an intense but beautiful journey.
“I am not in a moment to think about the next thing. I’m just thinking about what is now. I’m in a great place and I’m enjoying it.”
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The possibility of Alonso landing his dream job at Anfield should not encounter any resistance from Bayer Leverkusen who would not stand in his way, according to CEO Fernando Carro.
Speaking to talkSPORT's Ben Jacobs in November, Carro said; “We have a very, very good relationship with Xabi and he knows that we are a serious club.
“At the end of the day, we're not going to force someone to stay if he doesn't want to stay. We want him to feel so happy and so good with us that he really only wants to stay and this is our objective.
“There’s nothing on paper but sometimes agreements that are not on paper are agreements as well and we know that if he needs to do a move in the future we'll be able to talk with each other.
“I hope we will not need to do this because he will stay and be happy in Leverkusen.”
