Xabi Alonso New Team Betting Odds

Xabi Alonso is now one of the most highly demanded managers, and with the top job going up for grabs in Liverpool and Bayern Munich, the big question is whether or not he will stay at Bayer Leverkusen. What the Spanish manager has achieved in such a short time is truly miraculous, without any sensational transfer window signings or big names arriving in the club, but sheer hard work and determination. Continue reading, as we learn more about Xabi Alonso new team betting odds.

Bayer Leverkusen Football History

Whether or not Alonso will guide the to the Bundesliga Meisterschale may be important to all Leverkusen Werkself (Factory team or millhanders), and perhaps to all the other German football fans. But the question coming in from abroad is more focused on what will happen after the Bundesliga 2023/24 concludes and where Alonso will go next – if he does.

Let’s look at the first question before hypothesizing where Alonso may go next. Bayer 04 Leverkusen have never won the Bundesliga, though they have finished runners up on 5 separate occasions. Also branded “Neverkusen” or Vizekusen (Second-kusen in German), Die Werkself has yet to bring back the Bundesliga shield to its loyal fans. According to online sportsbook sites in Germany, he is most likely to stay.

Closest Seasons to Bundesliga Glory

The team has had 2 very important eras in the Bundesliga, during the 90s through early 2000s and in the mid 2010s. Under manager Ulf Kirsten, Leverkusen missed out on a Bundesliga in 1997 by 2 points, and then in 2000 when it was level on points with Bayern Munich but Bayern had the better goal difference. In 2011, under manager Stefan Kießling, Bayern Leverkusen came knocking on the door once more, but was still a long way away from Bayern Munich.

Enter Xabi Alonso

But that all seems to be coming to a close, as Bayern Munich are chasing Leverkusen now, and hoping to extend their winning run of Bundesliga titles to 12 in a row. Enter Xabi Alonso.

The Spaniard coached Real Sociedad B before signing a deal with Bayern Leverkusen back in October, 2022. Replacing Gerardo Seoane, he joined the Team 8 games into the Bundesliga season and managed to guide them to a sixth place finish.

Xabi Alonso’s Current Campaign with Die Werkself

The summer of 2023 was not very loud in the North Rhine-Westphalia city, with the arrivals of Viktor Boniface, Jonas Hofmann, Alejandro Grimaldo and Granit Xhaka, among several others. The team spend under €40 million bolstering its squad with these players. Another thing to note is that Bayer Leverkusen let go of its star player: Moussa Diaby, who went to Chelsea on a €55 million deal.

Skip forward to the now, and Bayer Leverkusen have won 22 of their 26 games, drawing the other 4, and have set the new record for a German team going undefeated for 38 games in all competitions (38 at the time of writing). The team has scored 66 goals in the Bundesliga, with Boniface, Grimaldo, Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz all providing important goals. Leading Bayern Munich by 10 points, and only facing Dortmund (from the top three with RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich), hopefully we will not be saying “Neverkusen” at the end of the season.

Where Can He Go Next?

Alonso’s achievements at Bayer Leverkusen speak for themself, and though he has not finished one full season at Die Werkself yet, the hype surrounding the Spaniard could not reach higher. To drive the speculation even higher, there are a few managerial positions going up for grabs this summer. Three of those are with clubs that Xabi Alonso played at before – you really couldn’t make this stuff up.

Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp shocked the footballing world when he announced in January that this season will be his last as manager of Liverpool. He has held the reigns at Liverpool for 9 years, winning one Premier League, one DA Cup and one UEFA Champions League (alongside two more Champions League runners up medals). His tenure saw major changes in the way the Merseyside team plays, incorporating the “Heavy Metal” football tactics. To demystify that statement, he injected a surge of energy into the squad, seeing them score more goals and press higher, playing with courage and tenacity that put fear into the other major clubs in the Premier League.

Xabi Alonso is no stranger to Liverpool. He won an FA Cup and played an integral role in winning the Champions League in 2005 as a player in Liverpool. Some may argue that it is a larger challenge than what he is currently going through at Bayer Leverkusen. If he does join Liverpool, could he carry on the Klopp legacy or will he face the same problems as other young managers such as Ole Gunnar Solsjaer and Frank Lampard encountered.

Bayern Munich

A true nightmare scenario for the Bayer Leverkusen fans would be if Alonso goes to Bayern Munich. Thomas Tuchel is set to leave Bayern Munich, and without any doubt, a large part of Tuchel’s fate is down to Xabi Alonso. Bayern Munich is quite famous for snapping up players and managers from rival Bundesliga clubs. While they may have the most successful record in the Bundesliga, there are many German football fans who cannot stand Bayern Munich. On their list of poached players from rivals, we have the following:

• Leon Goretzka – Schalke 04 (2018)
• Nikolas Sule – Hoffenheim (2017)
• Manuel Neuer – Schalke 04 (2011)
• Serge Gnabry – Werder Bremen (2017)
• Benjamin Pavard – VfB Stuttgart (2019)

• Robert Lewandowski – Borussia Dortmund (2014)
• Mats Hummels – Borussia Dortmund (2016)
• Mario Gotze – Borussia Dortmund (2013)
• Dayot Upamecano – RB Leipzig (2021)
• Miroslav Klose – Werder Bremen (2007)
• Michael Ballack – Bayern Leverkusen (2002)

Yes, the legendary Michael Ballack originally played in Leverkusen, and he was snapped up by Bayern. Not even the “second best team” in Germany, Borussia Dortmund is safe. Before Tuchel, Bayern appointed former RB Leipzig manager Julian Nagelsmann as the head coach. The list does go on, but you get the point.

Liverpool fans will hope that the 5 years Alonso spent at Liverpool mean more to him than the 3 he spent at Bayern Munich. Though Alonso did not win a UEFA Champions League at Bayern Munich, he did win 3 Bundesliga titles and 1 DFB Pokal. Interestingly enough, those Bundesliga titles he won was with Pep Guardiola, the Manchester City manager (and main rival to Liverpool) as head of Bayern Munich.

Real Madrid

Xabi Alonso spent 5 years at Real Madrid as a player, and had 158 appearances donning the white and gold kit of Los Blancos. He won it all at Real Madrid, with one La Liga, a Copa del Rey and a UEFA Champions League trophy. The only issue is that the Real Madrid job is currently held by Carlos Ancelotti. Whilst Ancelotti was linked with several moves last year, including the Brazil managerial job, he signed a contract extension with Real Madrid until June 2026.

In the current position he is in, it looks like Real Madrid will hold onto Ancelotti for the full duration of his contract. The Italian veteran coach helped bring Real Madrid up to the top of La Liga, even after the departures of key players such as Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018 and Karim Benzema in 2023.

Though there is a very remote possibility of Xabi Alonso moving to Real Madrid in 2024, the chances of him joining Real Madrid in two years time are quite good. His contract also runs out in 2026, and there is no better way of silencing the critics than for him to stay at Bayer Leverkusen and establish himself. If he can keep up the momentum and put in a solid two more years at Leverkusen, no one will be asking questions about Alonso or calling him a one-season-wonder.

Staying at Bayer Leverkusen

So what happens if Xabi Alonso stays at Bayer Leverkusen? We will see him take on the next Bayern Munich coach in the Bundesliga next season, and a place in the Champions League.

In that case though, it may be more interesting to check the early bird odds on the next season of the Bundesliga and some alternative Champions League outright, betting specifically on how far Bayer Leverkusen may reach in their next European campaign.

Though if you are in the party that believes Alonso is a one-hit-wonder, then perhaps you may want to check the odds on Bayern Munich or any other rivals in the Bundesliga. The odds on Xabi’s Bayer Leverkusen will probably be a little inflated if they can win the Bundesliga this season, and you can benefit from the longer odds on Bayern, Borussia, RB Leipzig, or other German clubs.

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