Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro has said he is confident the club can maintain their success should Xabi Alonso leave in the summer, adding that not “everything will fall apart when he’s not here.”
Leverkusen are set to break Bayern Munich’s 11-year-monopoly over the Bundesliga title this season under Alonso’s stewardship. The 3-0 victory over Wolfsburg on Sunday was their 21st win of the season and saw them maintain their 10-point lead at the top of the table.
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The league leaders are unbeaten in 36 games in all competitions this season. Leverkusen have the best defence in the Bundesliga with just 16 goals conceded in 25 games, while only Bayern have scored more.
That success has seen Alonso become one of the most sought after coaches in Europe, with reports linking the former Spain international with Liverpool and Bayern in particular.
Carro, however, said Leverkusen are well prepared should Alonso move on from the club.
“We’re happy that he’s here, but Xabi Alonso is a puzzle piece. It’s not like everything will fall apart when he’s not here,” Carro said in an interview with DAZN.
“We have a top squad, we have a coaching staff, [sporting director] Simon Rolfes … Therefore, most of the people who are responsible for the success are here, independently of Xabi Alonso.”
Granit Xhaka has played a big part in the team’s success since arriving from Arsenal last summer, but the Switzerland international also knows what it’s like to let an advantage slip after Manchester City overhauled Arsenal to win the Premier League title last year.
“I really hope it doesn’t happen again,” Xhaka said after the win over Wolfsburg. “We still have nine games, nothing is won yet. We have to keep working as we’re doing now, working hard, and we know that the coming weeks are so important.”
Leverkusen, who are also through to the German Cup semifinals, hosts Qarabağ on Thursday in the second leg of their Europa League round-of-16 tie before visiting Freiburg in the Bundesliga on Sunday.
Information from Associated Press contributed to this report