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Xabi Alonso excelled as Bayer Leverkusen's coach last season, winning two major titles with the team, which was a huge success for a club that had struggled for the last decade.
Leverkusen has been playing great this season as well, and it is clear that the Spanish expert who leads the team has a lot of credit for that.
Because of everything he has shown, Xabi has attracted the attention of many big clubs, with Real Madrid, where he once played, showing the most interest.
The Spaniard is expected to take over as head coach of the "Royal Club" at the end of this season. All the details have been practically agreed; all that remains is for Real to officially announce it.
He already has plans for next season, and one of them includes a player he would like to bring in. According to the Spanish AS, it is defender Jonathan Tah, who is currently a member of Leverkusen.
Tah has previously been linked with Barcelona, and many believed he would sign for the Catalan squad after his contract expires. However, now Xabi, who knows him well and has a great relationship with him, could get involved in the whole story.
If Tah decides to join Madrid instead of Barcelona, it could spark frustration and anger among Catalan fans, especially since he'd be going at the invitation of their rival’s coach.
On the other hand, the arrival of Alonso at Real could also please the young Turkish footballer Arda Guler. He did not get much space under the current coach, Carlo Ancelotti, believing he would have a more important role under Alonso because the Spaniard had previously wanted to bring him to Germany.
Although it was originally planned that he would join the club only in the summer, it seems that Alonso will take over the squad a little earlier to prepare it for the important competition that starts on June 14 in the USA. The club is expected to officially present him at the end of May, and then he will have about two weeks to get acquainted with the players and prepare the team.
English (US)