Spanish coach Xabi Alonso confirmed today at a press conference that he will remain at the helm of Bayer Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga for at least another year.
"My work at Bayer is not over yet. I want to help the club, help the players continue to develop, the board is great... everything is fantastic here. I'm still a young coach, but I think this is the best decision for my future. I have taken my time and I am sure of it," said the 42-year-old coach, in statements reported by the newspaper Bild.
He revealed that last week he had a "good conversation" with the club's leadership, in which he informed them that he wanted to continue at Bayer Leverkusen, and that this morning he informed the team of his decision.
"Still it has been a normal day, we have to prepare for the weekend's game. After this press conference, I am totally focused on it. The players have handled it well during these turbulent weeks," he said.
Regarding the interest shown by other clubs, including Bayern Munich and Liverpool, he stated that "it would not be correct" for him to talk about it at this time.
"For me what it is about is that as a coach here I have the feeling that 'I want to stay here, I feel good here,'" he reiterated.
As for next season, he noted that the team wants to continue evolving. "Naturally it is a big year, but we want to remain ambitious in all competitions. We want to keep the core of the team together and we also think long-term. However, now the focus is on the coming weeks." he declared.
