Alonso, a three-time Bundesliga winner with Bayern Munich, retired from football in 2017 and completed his UEFA Elite coaching course in 2018. He has been manager of Sociedad’s B team since June 2019, with the team finishing fifth in Segunda División B Group 2 in a season cut short by the coronavirus pandemic.
Here are Eurosport Spain’s Felix Martin’s thoughts on a potential move.
Is Alonso ready to coach in the Bundesliga?
Probably not, but neither were Zinedine Zidane or Pep Guardiola. Zidane was coaching Real Madrid Castilla in the third division of Spain when he was appointed and Guardiola was coaching Barça C in the fourth tier.
Additionally, Alonso has done very well with Sociedad B. The third division is split into groups, and the second group – the one with sides from the northern region is probably the toughest due to its physicality. Real Sociedad B are top, which speaks volumes about Alonso’s ability as a coach.
What are his strengths?
He’s a coach from the Spanish school. He’s been part of Spain’s best national team, sharing the midfield with players like Xavi Hernández, and Andres Iniesta. Plus, his experience is broad.
At Liverpool he learned how to thrive in physically demanding conditions. At Real Madrid he performed under constant pressure and has played under Guardiola at Bayern, so he knows the league. As well as Guardiola, he has played under some of the best coaches in the world – these include: Carlo Ancelotti, Rafa Benitez, Jose Mourinho, Vicente del Bosque, Javier Clemente, Periko Alonso, and John Toshack.
He has everything to become a great coach.
How surprised are you by this news?
It is a shock. It was expected that he would start his senior coaching career in San Sebastián with Sociedad. It was expected his career as a coach would mirror his playing career which was to build his reputation at Sociedad before moving on to a bigger challenge.
