Liverpool have wished former midfield star Xabi Alonso good luck following his appointment as the new Bayer Leverkusen boss.
The appointment was confirmed after Bayer's midweek Champions League defeat by FC Porto saw Gerardo Seoane dismissed as the club's head coach. The German side sit in the bottom three of the Bundesliga with five points from their opening eight league games.
Leverkusen made an approach to appoint the out-of-work Thomas Tuchel, following his dismissal from Chelsea last month, but this approach was rejected and Bayer subsequently turned to Alonso. It is the Spaniard's second managerial stint after three years coaching Real Sociedad's B team.
This is Alonso's first job in a major role and unsurprisingly it has drawn a reaction from his former club Liverpool. The Reds tweeted after the news was confirmed on Wednesday evening: "All the best in your new role, @XabiAlonso."
The former central midfielder spent five years at Anfield between 2004 and 2009, making 210 senior appearances and scoring 19 first-team goals. He helped the club to their memorable Champions League title in his first season at the club alongside the FA Cup success the following campaign.
Having initially starred at Real Sociedad before his switch to English football, Alonso went on to spend five years at Real Madrid before winning the title in each of his three seasons at Bayern Munich, where he hung up his boots, in 2017.
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Alonso is set for a bright future in management and there may even be suggestions that he could be a potential future Liverpool boss later in his career. His stint at Bayer Leverkusen is likely to prove invaluable experience for any future roles.
In a statement on Bayer's website, Alonso has said: "I know Leverkusen from my time in Germany as an excellent club. Bayer 04 have always had great players, so I see a lot of quality in the current squad. In my discussions with the club, it quickly became clear that, despite the currently difficult situation, ambitious goals are still being pursued in principle. This task appeals to me very much and I am sure that we will live up to the claim."
Alonso was heavily linked with the Borussia Monchengladbach job last year before he ultimately decided to reject that offer. There had been an expectation Alonso would eventually take over the senior Real Sociedad side, but with Imanol Alguacil continuing to thrive, he decided to depart at the end of last season.
