Breaking: Xabi Alonso set to depart Leverkusen, per Sky Germany
Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg believes Xabi Alonso has informed Bayer Leverkusen of his decision to leave
The Spaniard is expected to return to his native land where he will take over the reins at Real Madrid.
Advertisement
It is believed that the 43-year-old informed the club's bosses earlier this morning regarding his decision.
Alonso may announce it himself at today's 3pm (CET) press conference as his side prepares to face Borussia Dortmund on Sunday afternoon.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski says ‘mental tiredness' behind absence from Poland squad
Robert Lewandowski said he was not included in Poland's June international matches due to feeling 'mentally tired'. Lewandowski was absent as his nation beat Moldova 2-0 in a friendly on Friday. The 36-year-old will also miss Poland's World Cup qualifier against Finland on June 10 after making himself unavailable for this month's international window. Advertisement 'I know that I am often judged as a professional, not a person,' Lewandowski told Polish broadcaster TVP Sport. 'Returning from injury, I played two league games and told coach (Michal) Probierz that I did not feel good physically, but especially mentally. 'With all due respect to journalists, none of you thought about the fact that you can be mentally tired. Who among you can know better how I feel?' Lewandowski played 52 times and scored 42 goals for Barcelona this term, his highest number of appearances in a single season during his career, as the Catalan side clinched La Liga and the Copa del Rey title. The striker suffered a hamstring injury during his side's 4-3 victory over Celta Vigo in April and, despite playing in extra time for the 4-3 (7-6 aggregate) defeat against Inter in the Champions League semi-final, was an unused substitute for the subsequent victory over Real Madrid. He played in each of Barcelona's final three matches of the season, scoring twice against Athletic Club on the final day. Poland lead Group G in UEFA's World Cup qualifying standings with two wins from two matches. Their 1-0 victory over Lithuania to open the campaign was decided by an 81st-minute Lewandowski goal in March. (Piero Cruciatti/AFP via Getty Images)
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
New $3 million addition could put Cowboys ahead of curve in revolutionizing red-zone play
It's not common practice to develop a specialist role for a key position such as quarterback in today's NFL. A starter is a starter and removing said player tips off intensions and frankly comes off as a little disrespectful. For the Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott, replacing the QB in select goal-line packages could be seen as both, even if it seems like a smart course of action for all parties involved. The Cowboys touchdown scoring percentage in the red zone was just 46 percent in 2024. That was second to last in the NFL, ranking only above the lowly Giants. The Cowboys' inability to get into the endzone was a season-long issue, dating back before Prescott's season-ending injury. It left points on the board and ultimately demoralized an already fragile unit. Advertisement Prescott is scheduled to return in 2025 with a full bill of health. In previous seasons, he's been an assassin from the red zone, guiding the Cowboys to a No. 12 ranking in 2023 and to No. 1 overall ranking in 2022. Given his past proficiency, it's not preposterous to think he can bounce back to those levels again in 2025, but is the risk worth it? A major part of Prescott's redzone efficiency lies in his ability to run the ball. As a ball carrier Prescott operated at a 0.40 EPA/play with a 100 percent success rate on two attempts in 2024. The season before he was at 0.16 EPA/play with a 71.43% success rate on 14 attempts. QBs are universally a highly efficient rushing option from the red zone; the only downside is such plays open them up to hits and potential injury. The Cowboys can ill afford to suffer and injury of Prescott's magnitude so alternatives need to be explored. Prescott, 32, is the highest paid player in the NFL and an irreplaceable part on the Cowboys' machine. He's not injury prone, per say, but having missed five or more games in three of the last five seasons, he's not exactly made of metal either. Using him as a runner might be more risk than the Cowboys want to take on and finding a replacement option may not be as crazy as it sounds when all factors are under consideration. After adding Joe Milton in an offseason trade, the Cowboys have an intriguing option as a situational replacement to Prescott. The highly gifted, yet severely underdeveloped, quarterback prospect is sure to drive headlines throughout the summer with dazzling throws and highlight runs. Milton, who has three years and $3 million remaining on his rookie deal, could be the answer in the red zone based on his skillset and dispensability. If Prescott gets hurt tucking and running the season might be over for the Cowboys. If Milton gets hurt running the rock, it's unlikely to have any impact on the success or failure of the season, and the financial investment in him is already minimal. At 6-foot-5, 246-pounds, Milton is built for the part. Coming from an RPO-rich offense in college, Milton is an ideal dual-threat inside the redzone. His reads downfield and accuracy as a passer leave something to be desired, but if cast into zone-read role where he can either handoff or run it himself, he offers something Prescott does not. Incorporating a single read as a passer is a great way to take that zone-read attack into a simple, but multifaceted, RPO. Advertisement Once upon a time the idea of having a dedicated closer in baseball seemed absurd. It wasn't until the late 1970s when teams started to designate specialists and from there it took years before it became the norm. In much the same way an occasional red-zone specialist could be normalized on early downs in the NFL. For teams with veteran QBs who are too important to risk and somewhat susceptible to injury, bringing in a dual-threat QB on early downs (non-obvious passing downs) could be a great way to take advantage of the game's highest leverage situations. QB runs are an important part of an efficient redzone offense but with a QB1 who's too important to risk, situational alternatives should be explored. Can Milton be that alternative? You can follow Reid on X @ReidDHanson and be sure to follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans! This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Joe Milton could give Cowboys creative advantage in red-zone scenarios
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Zinedine Zidane snubs €100m opportunity to return to management
Real Madrid officially have a new head coach in Xabi Alonso, but one of their former managers has still yet to make his return to football – that being Zinedine Zidane. It has been four years since Zidane ended his second spell at Real Madrid, which was his last job in management. But despite this, he has had a number of opportunities to make his long-awaited return to football, with the likes of Manchester United and Marseille having shown interest over the last 12-18 months. Zinedine Zidane knocks back approach from Saudi Arabia And according to L'Equipe (via Diario AS), he has turned down another managerial opportunity in recent weeks – this time, it is Saudi Arabia that have been knocked back. Image via Reuters A few weeks ago, it was confirmed that Jorge Jesus would be leaving Al Hilal. And the Saudi Pro League identified Zidane as a leading candidate to replace him, but they have been turned down. As per the report, a contract proposal worth in excess of €100m was submitted, but the Real Madrid and France icon was not interested. Zidane has already identified his next managerial position And there is a good reason for this. Zidane missed out on taking over as head coach of the French national team in 2022 after Didier Deschamps U-turned on his decision to sign a new contract. That was a big blow for Zizou, but ever since then, he has been waiting for the opportunity to arise – and next summer, it will. It has already been confirmed that Deschamps will step down as France head coach after the 2026 World Cup, and everything points to Zidane being his replacement. Everything points to that situation playing out after next summer's tournament, and it should be a momentous occasion for the 52-year-old to manage his home nation.
