MADRID: Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro said Monday the club had a 50-50 chance of holding onto manager Xabi Alonso amid rumored links between the coach and Real Madrid.
Carro also revealed the club had a “gentlemen’s agreement” with Alonso, allowing him to leave to coach one of the clubs he played for as a player for a fee.
Alonso, who played for Real and last year took Leverkusen to an unbeaten league and cup double, has been linked with the top job at the Bernabeu, with current coach Carlo Ancelotti rumored to be headed for the exit.
Speaking ahead of the Laureus Sports Awards, where the club is nominated for breakthrough of the year after their debut Bundesliga win last season, Carro told reporters that “my gut feeling is that it’s 50-50” Alonso would stay.
“Xabi has no exit clause, but we have a gentleman’s agreement. If a team he has played for comes, we would sit down and discuss it and we wouldn’t stand in his way,” he said.
Carro said the club “needs clarity” and “the decision needs to be in the next three or four weeks. We cannot wait until the end of the season.”
“We are not naive, the position of the coach is very important for a club and it is true that we are preparing for next season with him.
“We have worked with him every day; he is fully committed to this preparation.”
After winning the title last season, Leverkusen have fallen back slightly and sit eight points behind league leaders Bayern Munich with four games remaining.
Leverkusen were eliminated from the Champions League by Bayern and were knocked out in the semifinals of the German Cup by third-division Arminia Bielefeld
Despite the drop off, the club is still on track for its second best points total.
Carro also said he believed star midfielder Florian Wirtz, 21, “has a contract until 2027 and I believe he will play for us next year.”
Chances of Alonso staying in Leverkusen ‘50-50’, says CEO
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Chances of Alonso staying in Leverkusen ‘50-50’, says CEO
- Carro told reporters that “my gut feeling is that it’s 50-50” Alonso would stay
- “If a team he has played for comes, we would sit down and discuss it and we wouldn’t stand in his way”
Gulf Giants start DP World ILT20 Season 4 with 6-wicket victory over MI Emirates
- Nissanka’s 81 and Omarzai’s all-round display trump Pollard’s half-century
DUBAI: The Gulf Giants began their DP World ILT20 Season 4 campaign with a clinical six-wicket victory against the MI Emirates on Thursday.
A swashbuckling knock of 81 runs in 42 balls from Pathum Nissanka and an all-round performance from Azmatullah Omarzai proved decisive for the Giants, who broke a six-match losing streak at the Dubai International Stadium
Apart from a 78-run partnership between Nicholas Pooran (46 off 39) and half-centurion Kieron Pollard (50 off 33), the Giants were potent with the ball. Omarzai and Nuwan Thushara led with two-wicket hauls each while, in contrast, four out of five bowlers for the MI Emirates conceded at more than 10 runs an over.
In the second innings, Chris Woakes gave the Giants an early jolt with the wickets of Rahmanullah Gurbaz (6 off 3) and Gerhard Erasmus (1 off 5). Pathum Nissanka and Moeen Ali (26 off 21) steadied the ship, taking the Giants to 67 until Moeen Ali was run out.
Opening the innings, Nissanka scored briskly after a watchful start. He crossed the 50-run mark in 30 balls on the back of three fours and two sixes.
Soon after, Omarzai (39* off 16) tore into Rashid Khan, hammering a four and three sixes in a devastating 23-run over that seized control for the Giants. Nissanka extended the damage with three boundaries and a six off Chris Woakes before his dismissal in the 15th over.
Omarzai remained unbeaten as the Giants reached their target in 14.4 overs.
Asked to bat first, MI Emirates limped to 36/3 inside the powerplay courtesy of the Giants’ pace attack. Nuwan Thushara snapped up Mohammed Waseem (1 off 2) and Jonny Bairstow (11 off 13) with both batters caught and bowled. Meanwhile, Azmatullah Omarzai cleaned up Tom Banton (6 off 8) in the third over.
Runs were hard to come by as Nicholas Pooran and Tajinder Singh (15 off 19) looked to rebuild. The pair put up a stand of 27 runs before Moeen Ali outfoxed Tajinder to leave the MI Emirates at 58/4 in 10 overs.
The innings needed impetus, and Pollard provided it in the 13th over, launching three consecutive sixes off Tabraiz Shamsi. Pooran joined the assault with a 14-run plunder off Haider Razzaq, as the duo raced to a 50-run partnership in just 36 balls. In a bid to hit his third six of the night, Pooran fell to Razzaq in the 18th over to make it 141/5.
Kieron Pollard was dismissed in the final over by Omarzai. But Romario Shepherd (18* off 6) and Rashid Khan (6* off 1) did well to help the MI Emirates post 163/6.
On the Gulf Giants’ victory, stand-in captain, Moeen Ali said: “It’s a great performance. The toss was huge. We bowled very well in the first 10 overs. They have three players who can take it away, and we held them back nicely, and then Nissanka and Omarzai were incredible. Nissanka is a brilliant player. He is one of the best in the world. He is very calm, doesn’t say much, but packs a punch. Omarzai gave us the momentum to finish the game by taking on Rashid Khan.”
MI Emirates captain Kieron Pollard said: “Losing three wickets in the powerplay, and having to rebuild, we were short in the first innings. The ball was moving around quite a bit in the first 10 overs, and we couldn’t finish it off as well as we wanted. We just need to be better in terms of execution.”
