'Knowing him' - Mikel Arteta reacts to Xabi Alonso Liverpool decision as 'unbelievable' claim made
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has admitted he knew Xabi Alonso would opt to remain at Bayer Leverkusen after strong reports linked him with the Liverpool job.
Alonso emerged as the early favourite to replace Jurgen Klopp when the German announced his decision to leave the Reds over two months ago. The former Liverpool midfielder has emerged as one of Europe's most-wanted managers after impressing at Leverkusen.
On Sunday, on the same day as Liverpool's Premier League title chances dwindled, Leverkusen were crowned champions of Germany for the first time in their history with a resounding 5-0 win over Werder Bremen.
Liverpool are giving Jurgen Klopp and his replacement big problems in two areas
'You have no idea' - Liverpool told Xabi Alonso theory after Bayer Leverkusen decision
The historic title win comes after Alonso affirmed his loyalty to Die Werkself and put to bed any links about a possible return to Anfield for now. Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim and Brighton's Roberto De Zerbi have both been tipped to replace Klopp following the Spaniard's decision to remain in Germany.
Arsenal are one of the clubs looking to stop Liverpool from ending the Klopp-era in the best possible way. The Gunners are currently above the Reds in the table but remain under Manchester City after the weekend's action.
After losing 2-0 to Aston Villa on Sunday, Arteta admitted that he expected Alonso to remain in Germany despite reported interest from the Premier League. "I did, to be fair," he said when asked about the fellow Spaniard. "Knowing him, I did.
"So impressive, not only what he is doing as a manager, but what he did as a player as well and representing the Basque country in the way that he did when he played for Madrid and
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