“Of course it surprised a lot of us” - Ex-Liverpool star Luis Garcia explains factor about Xavi Alonso that took him by surprise

Former Liverpool winger Luis Garcia recently shared his thoughts on former teammate Xabi Alonso's excellence at management with Bayer Leverkusen. He said that he was surprised to see how quickly the Spaniard has learned the trade of the profession.

Alonso has done exceptional work since being appointed Bayer Leverkusen's manager in October 2022. He led them to the UEFA Europa League semi-finals last season.

Now, in his full season with the club, Alonso's side are unbeaten across competitions. They sit atop the Bundesliga table, eight points above Bayern Munich, after 22 games. They have reached the Europa League Round of 16 and the DFB-Pokal semi-finals.

Garcia recently spoke about Alonso's managerial career so far, expressing his surprise at the former Liverpool star's success. He said (via This is Anfield):

“Of course it surprised a lot of us. Not because we didn’t think that he was going to become a good manager. Everybody knew about that because he was already managing when he was playing.

"That personality, that character in the middle of the park, knowing what to do in every single moment. We are talking about a player who’s been in three or four of the biggest clubs in the world winning every single trophy."

Garcia said that they always knew Alonso would become a great manager but the time he's taken to do so is surprising. The former Liverpool winger said:

“We are talking about one of the biggest midfielders in history. That move to being a manager was always going to be a good one.

“Surprising, yes, because the time is so small but definitely we knew that because of his capacity, the managers he had during his career, he was going to do exactly what he’s doing right now. A fantastic job and we have to give credit to him.”

His work with Bayer Leverkusen has seen Alonso been linked with a move to Liverpool in the summer. Jurgen Klopp has announced that he will leave the club at the end of the season and many believe Alonso would be a good fit as a replacement.

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Bayern Munich also linked with a move for Liverpool target Xabi Alonso

Bayern Munich recently announced that they are set to part ways with manager Thomas Tuchel at the end of the season. The German manager helped them win the Bundesliga title on the last day of last season. However, the Bavarians have been eliminated from all domestic cups.

Moreover, Bayern are 1-0 down against Lazio in their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash after the first leg. They also trail Bayer Leverkusen by eight points in the Bundesliga table.

Hence, the German giants are on the hunt for a new manager and as per Florian Plettenberg, Xabi Alonso has become one of their targets. He even claimed that the Spaniard will be willing to choose Bayern over Liverpool.

Alonso has previously played for both clubs and it will be interesting to see where he ends up if he leaves Bayer Leverkusen in the summer.