Xabi Alonso reveals why he turned down chance to succeed Klopp at Liverpool
Xabi Alonso has revealed that there were 'many reasons' as to why he opted to turn down the chance to succeed Jurgen Klopp as the new Liverpool manager.
Following the announcement that the German would be departing the Merseyside club after six years at the helm, the former Liverpool midfielder and Bayer Leverkusen boss had been heavily linked to take over.
With Thomas Tuchel also set to leave title rivals Bayern Munich this summer, Alonso had also been linked with a move to the Bundesliga champions, but in March the 42-year-old revealed that he would be staying put.
Alonso, who won the Champions League with the Reds in 2005, subsequently stated that he felt he had made the 'right' decision to remain at Leverkusen, with Sporting Lisbon boss, Ruben Amorim, now the leading candidate to take over at the Premier League title chasers.
In his 18 months in charge at Bayer Leverkusen, Alonso has helped catapault the club to the top of the Bundesliga standings - six points clear of Bayern. They now look poised to win their first-ever league title, and Alonso revealed that he felt it was 'not the right time to leave'.
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