Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg could have been forgiven for pinching himself and wondering if he was in the middle of the most lucid of dreams when reports emerged on Tuesday suggesting that Xabi Alonso had become a frontrunner to take over as the manager of Tottenham Hotspur.
According to De Telegraaf, the former Premier League playmaker is now one of the leading candidates for the Spurs job. Alongside Julian Nagelsmann and Feyenoord boss Arne Slot.
Given that Alonso learned from some of the greatest tactical minds of the modern age a during a hugely-successful playing career – Jose Mourinho, Rafael Benitez, Pep Guardiola, Vicente del Bosque and Carlo Ancelotti – it’s no real surprise that the 2010 World Cup winner is making quite an impression in the dugout.
Bayer Leverkusen were second-from bottom in the Bundesliga table when Alonso took over late last year. They are sixth now; Champions League qualification and Europa League glory very much in Alonso’s sights. Leverkusen have lost one of their last 14 games – winning 10.
Mourinho might have been onto something back in 2019 when he suggested that Alonso, who was beginning his coaching career with Real Sociedad’s B team at the time, was on his way to becoming one of the game’s best young tacticians.
Could Xabi Alonso become Tottenham Hotspur’s new manager?
“His father was a manager, so he grew up similar to me,” Alonso’s former Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho told Top Football. “Then he became a player. Of course, much better than I was! He became a player, a top player.
“His position on the pitch and his knowledge of the game; very high.
“He played in Spain, in England and in Germany. And he was coached by Guardiola with Bayern. By myself at Real Madrid. By Ancelotti in Real Madrid, and by Benitez in Liverpool.
“So, I think if you put all this together, Xabi has conditions to be a very good coach.”
Alonso’s quiet authority and his reputation as one of the modern game’s most decorated talents, one suspects, would command immediate and automatic respect amongst the Tottenham Hotspur dressing room. This is, after all, a man who won it all under some truly iconic managers.
A living legend
Hojbjerg, for one, would relish the prospect of working at close quarters with Alonso. Again.
“Xabi Alonso, for sure,” Hojbjerg told BT Sports a couple of years ago, labelling the former Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid maestro – who he played alongside for a brief spell at the Allianz Arena – as one of his idols.
“Without disrespecting him, he wasn’t the fastest towards the end of his career. (But) he was so smart positioning-wise, touch-wise. Playing simple but playing effectively. To mention myself with him is not relatable but he’s a player I really learned a lot from.
“I was only with him six months or one year. He is the player I learned the most from watching.”
With Alonso reportedly high on Daniel Levy’s managerial wishlist, student and mentor could soon be reunited.
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