In Leverkusen, the coach and the players are doing their thing, and the executives are already working on preparing a successor for Xabi Alonso. The season hasn’t even reached its halfway point, but the reigning German champions are working on all fronts. As reported by one of the most respected journalists there, Xabi Alonso will definitely leave the ‘Pharmacists’ at the end of the season, and they are working on being prepared for his ‘goodbye.’ The Spanish coach has worked wonders in Leverkusen, bringing the club its first title in history and raising the bar so high that there’s nowhere left to go but to challenge for the Champions League. Which isn’t very realistic, although, bigger miracles have happened in the world of football.🚨⚫️🔴 EXCL | Sandro #Wagner is on Leverkusen’s shortlist ✔️Wagner, along with Sebastian Hoeneß, is one of the candidates to potentially succeed Xabi #Alonso at Bayer 04 next season.Premier League clubs have also shown interest in Wagner, who could take on a head coach… pic.twitter.com/zKUWNvn4Hf— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) October 21, 2024 Many were surprised that Alonso didn’t leave this past May, precisely because things couldn’t get better in Leverkusen, but now it seems like the Spaniard knew something others didn’t. According to journalist Plettenberg, the two clubs that are the most likely destinations for Xabi Alonso are Manchester City and Real Madrid. And, since rumors are already circulating that Pep Guardiola will leave the English giant at the end of the season… Also, there were talks about Carlo Ancelotti leaving Madrid. It’s possible that both of these giants’ benches will be vacant at the end of the season, giving Alonso the opportunity to choose where to go. Tempting, no matter which way you look at it.Flo Pérez’s biggest ‘secret’ revealed: Flo Wirtz for €150,000,000At BayArena, they have identified two coaches who would be the best replacements for the Spaniard. One is Sebastian Hoeneß, who also pulled off a small miracle last season with Stuttgart, leading them to second place and the Champions League. This, after the club had to fight for their place in the Bundesliga through the playoff just a year earlier. The second candidate, a bit of a strange choice – Sandro Wagner. The former striker for Werder Bremen and Bayern has only managed the lower-tier team Unterhaching as a head coach, and after that, he was an assistant coach for several German national teams. He is now in the senior team with Julian Nagelsmann. But, obviously, he has good recommendations if he’s being seriously considered.UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE – ROUND 3Tuesday19:45: (1.45) AC Milan (4.40) Club Brugge (7.25)19:45: (1.40) Monaco (5.30) Crvena Zvezda (8.00)22:00: (1.10) Arsenal (11.0) Shakhtar (18.0)22:00: (1.62) Aston Villa (3.80) Bologna (5.80)22:00: (1.20) Girona (8.00) Slovan B. (14.0)22:00: (1.87) Juventus (3.50) Stuttgart (4.20)22:00: (1.45) PSG (4.50) PSV (7.00)22:00: (1.50) Real Madrid (4.40) Dortmund (6.50)22:00: (8.00) Sturm (4.70) Sporting (1.40)Wednesday19:45: (1.45) Atalanta (4.50) Celtic (7.00)19:45: (6.25) Brest (4.70) Leverkusen (1.48)22:00: (1.53) Atl.Madrid (4.00) Lille (6.75)22:00: (2.40) Barcelona (3.60) Bayern (2.80)22:00: (1.62) Benfica (3.90) Feyenoord (5.60)22:00: (1.07) Man.City (13.0) Sparta Praha (25.0)22:00: (4.00) RB Leipzig (3.60) Liverpool (1.90)22:00: (1.75) Salzburg (3.60) Dinamo Zagreb (4.90)22:00: (8.00) Young Boys (4.70) Inter Milan (1.40)***odds are subject to change***
