As of: March 28, 2024, 8:45 p.m
By: Stefan Schmid
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The search for a coach at FC Bayern is in full swing. Uli Hoeneß seems to have already written off Alonso's dream solution and looks back.
Munich – José Mourinho, Roberto de Zerbi, Ralf Rangnick or even Julian Nagelsmann again. Alleged names of coaching candidates at FC Bayern are still floating around in the rumor mill. Whether there is a real core behind Bayern's interest or not, the apparent candidates have one thing in common: They would only be second choice behind Xabi Alonso. However, Uli Hoeneß is convinced that the search for alternatives is necessary. He seems to have written Alonso off, at least for now.
Hoeneß: “Probably impossible” to sign Alonso this year
As a member of the supervisory board and eminence grise in the background, Uli Hoeneß is still well informed about what is going on at FC Bayern. And so his assessment of the search for a coach in the interview with
BR24Sport
can definitely be taken into account. He sees the chances of being able to sign Xabi Alonso as desired as slim: “It will be very difficult, not to say probably impossible.”
However, Hoeneß also placed a time limit that should not be ignored in his assessment. Specifically, he only spoke about this year. He did not comment on the likelihood of Alonso being signed in the future. The hymns of praise formulated by Hoeneß (“We all extremely appreciate Xabi Alonso”) suggest that even if the Spaniard is rejected, we will continue to follow his path closely.
Uli Hoeneß comments on FC Bayern's chances of signing Xabi Alonso. © IMAGO / Ulrich Wagner
Hoeneß: FC Bayern would have more chances with a more successful Alonso
So is Alonso turning down Bayern and moving to another top club? Not if you ask Uli Hoeneß. He can “imagine that, the way I have come to know him and appreciate him, he is more inclined to carry on because he doesn’t want to leave it behind now.” So Hoeneß is tipping to stay at Bayer Leverkusen.
Alonso only took over the Werkself in October 2022 and is now on the verge of leading Leverkusen to the championship. It would be coach Alonso's first title, which, according to Hoeneß, would actually be counterproductive for Bayern: "If he had had two or three years more success, it would probably be easier to let him go there." Should the Basque cancel the Munich player, one would be on Säbener Strasse, they were probably happier about a less successful Xabi Alonso.
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Hoeneß talks about looking for Alonso alternatives and criticizes Nagelsmann's dismissal
But the Bayern patron doesn't want to give up hope on Xabi Alonso yet. “We would like to sign him,” he confesses in the interview, before formulating his expectations of Christoph Freund and Max Eberl: “If that doesn’t work, it will be the task of the sporting management to look for and find alternatives.” These will come Apparently they are diligently pursuing their task. Eberl is said to have already had discussions with a candidate from the Premier League.
Hoeneß's look not only into the near future of FC Bayern, but also back a year. The current national coach Julian Nagelsmann was “sacked or placed on leave at a time when all three titles were still possible, which is actually not a thing that suits FC Bayern.” (
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