Alonso knocks back Bundesliga rumours with contract extension at Real Sociedad

Stefan Bienkowski

• Updated: 19 May 2021 15:43 BST
• 3 min read

Xabi Alonso has put an end to transfer speculation linking him with a move to the Bundesliga by signing a contract extension at Real Sociedad. 

Alonso returned to the Basque club in 2019 to take charge of the club’s B team, which plays in the third tier of Spanish football. 

However, a number of reports in Germany began to link the young Spanish coach with a vacancy at Borussia Monchengladbach.

The Foals have yet to announce who their head coach will be next season, following Marco Rose’s decision to join Borussia Dortmund at the end of the league campaign. 

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Although neither the German club nor Alonso’s representatives were willing to address the stories, it seems as though the former Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich star has decided to stay put in Spain by agreeing a contract extension that will run until the summer of 2022. 

Speaking in a club video, Alonso confirmed that he was excited to “continue growing in the project” and took comfort in the thought of “helping in the final push for the Zubieta team”.

How good of a manager is Alonso?

Although it’s hard to gauge how good a manager Alonso will be in the years to come, his record at Sociedad to date suggests that he certainly knows what he’s doing. 

After 47 games in charge of Real Sociedad B, Alonso has won 23, drawn 12 and lost just 12, which gives him an impressive win ratio of 48.9%. 

If that doesn’t sound impressive, it’s also worth noting that he took the B team from 12th in the Segunda Division B up to fifth last year and they now currently sit top of their group in this current league campaign. 

And it seems as though such an impressive run of form in his first managerial job comes as no surprise to some of his former teammates. 

“Xabi Alonso has everything that makes a successful coach,” said Phillip Lahm in a recent interview with t-online. 

“As a player, he was an absolute strategist and understanding of the game, he radiated calm and strength and was formative in his position in central midfield.”