There's a sense that Jabbi Alonso has always been destined to be a great manager. He had an illustrious playing career, winning the Champions League, Spanish title, German title, and the World Cup and European championships with Spain. He worked under the finest managers of his generation, including Carlo Ancelotti, Rafa Benitez, Jose Mourinho, and Pep Guardiola – a set of references that is hard to beat.
Despite his impressive pedigree, Alonso took his time in transitioning to management. He did his badges and worked with the youth teams at Rayo Vallecano, the club where he had initially come through, before taking his first senior job at Bayer Leverkusen. This proved to be the perfect environment for the young, ambitious, and still-learning manager.
In his first season at Leverkusen, Alonso took a team that was languishing in the relegation zone of the Bundesliga and guided them back up to the top half of the table. In his second season, he won the title, giving the club its first German championship in its 120-year history. It's not hard to see why clubs are so keen on him.
Alonso's teams play attractive, tactically astute, and adventurous football, but he also retains certain core elements. He wants his team to dominate the ball, which is no surprise to anybody who watched him as a player. However, he's also shown an ability to make use of players who thrive on the counterattack, like Jeremy Frong, the Dutch right-back who has been one of the standout players at Leverkusen under Alonso. He's also got the best out of Victor Bonface, one of that rare breed of true number nines in European football.
Alonso's stock has been rising, and the offers have started to pour in. Two of his former teams, Liverpool and Bayern Munich, came closest to hiring him. Alonso has never hidden the fact that he has developed a strong bond with the clubs he played for, and this has made him an attractive candidate for these top clubs.
Liverpool and Bayern Munich both made overtures to Alonso, but he made it clear that he had given his word to Leverkusen that he would give them another season, and he had no intention of breaking that. This loyalty and commitment to his current club have only added to Alonso's reputation as a manager who can connect with the fans and the club hierarchy.
The crucial thing for clubs like Liverpool, Bayern, and Real Madrid is the bond Alonso has not only with the fans but with the club hierarchy. He is seen as someone who can connect the boardroom with the terraces and do it almost instantly – a precious quality for any manager at a top club where the pressure is so high and the need to deliver is so immediate.
The risk, of course, is that managerial careers work on timings. Liverpool and Bayern may well not be available at the end of this season, as they have already appointed new managers in Anfield and the Allianz Arena, respectively. However, Alonso's name may still be at the top of the list for another top job – potentially at Real Madrid, where Carlo Ancelotti's second spell has brought endless success.
If Ancelotti decides to step away this summer, it seems clear that Alonso is the obvious successor. By that stage, he will have another year's experience, having taken Leverkusen into the Champions League and hopefully deep into the competition. He may well feel that he's ready then, not just for another step up, but for possibly the biggest step of them all.
Part 1/6:
Jabbi Alonso: Europe's Most Sought-After Manager
There's a sense that Jabbi Alonso has always been destined to be a great manager. He had an illustrious playing career, winning the Champions League, Spanish title, German title, and the World Cup and European championships with Spain. He worked under the finest managers of his generation, including Carlo Ancelotti, Rafa Benitez, Jose Mourinho, and Pep Guardiola – a set of references that is hard to beat.
Part 2/6:
Despite his impressive pedigree, Alonso took his time in transitioning to management. He did his badges and worked with the youth teams at Rayo Vallecano, the club where he had initially come through, before taking his first senior job at Bayer Leverkusen. This proved to be the perfect environment for the young, ambitious, and still-learning manager.
In his first season at Leverkusen, Alonso took a team that was languishing in the relegation zone of the Bundesliga and guided them back up to the top half of the table. In his second season, he won the title, giving the club its first German championship in its 120-year history. It's not hard to see why clubs are so keen on him.
Part 3/6:
Alonso's teams play attractive, tactically astute, and adventurous football, but he also retains certain core elements. He wants his team to dominate the ball, which is no surprise to anybody who watched him as a player. However, he's also shown an ability to make use of players who thrive on the counterattack, like Jeremy Frong, the Dutch right-back who has been one of the standout players at Leverkusen under Alonso. He's also got the best out of Victor Bonface, one of that rare breed of true number nines in European football.
Part 4/6:
Alonso's stock has been rising, and the offers have started to pour in. Two of his former teams, Liverpool and Bayern Munich, came closest to hiring him. Alonso has never hidden the fact that he has developed a strong bond with the clubs he played for, and this has made him an attractive candidate for these top clubs.
Liverpool and Bayern Munich both made overtures to Alonso, but he made it clear that he had given his word to Leverkusen that he would give them another season, and he had no intention of breaking that. This loyalty and commitment to his current club have only added to Alonso's reputation as a manager who can connect with the fans and the club hierarchy.
Part 5/6:
The crucial thing for clubs like Liverpool, Bayern, and Real Madrid is the bond Alonso has not only with the fans but with the club hierarchy. He is seen as someone who can connect the boardroom with the terraces and do it almost instantly – a precious quality for any manager at a top club where the pressure is so high and the need to deliver is so immediate.
The risk, of course, is that managerial careers work on timings. Liverpool and Bayern may well not be available at the end of this season, as they have already appointed new managers in Anfield and the Allianz Arena, respectively. However, Alonso's name may still be at the top of the list for another top job – potentially at Real Madrid, where Carlo Ancelotti's second spell has brought endless success.
Part 6/6:
If Ancelotti decides to step away this summer, it seems clear that Alonso is the obvious successor. By that stage, he will have another year's experience, having taken Leverkusen into the Champions League and hopefully deep into the competition. He may well feel that he's ready then, not just for another step up, but for possibly the biggest step of them all.