Inside mastermind behind Alonso appointment who kept Arsenal at bay

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“Both sides find it a wonderful match,” declared a buoyant Simon Rolfes as Xabi Alonso graced the glistening BayArena turf for the first time as the newly-appointed head coach of Bayer Leverkusen. This was love at first sight. Two football visionaries with infectious hunger and determination to succeed and deliver results, while also having fun along the way. “Experience doesn’t trump quality,” ruled Rolfes, when justifying his decision to push ahead with the appointment of rookie first-choice candidate Alonso, who has little top-level coaching experience following a three-year stint in charge of Real Sociedad B.

The innovative and forward-thinking German managing director is the brains and mastermind behind the sporting operation. He is a humble, family-orientated, selfless individual who bleeds Bayer having made 377 appearances in North Rhine-Westphalia – most of which as captain – during a highly-respected 10-year spell at the base of midfield between 2005 and 2010.

Now he is an integral frontstage figure tasked with ensuring Werkself fulfil their frightening potential after handing three-time Bundesliga champion Alonso a lucrative contract until the summer of 2024 following the dismissal of underperforming Swiss boss Gerardo Seoane.

His philosophy is complex, detailed, yet also simplistic. Bayer have created a revolutionary club model designed and centred around signing the best young talent in world football before honing their skills on the training pitch.

That’s why in Rolfes’ eyes and the ambitious viewpoint of the board, there is no better coach to spearhead the project than Alonso, whose first message to his new players was striking: “I told the team that we can be dominant and enjoy what we do. New energy. It starts now. We won’t be waiting until Saturday. Giving one’s best every day. That’s the mentality I wish to exemplify.”

The former Real Sociedad, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Spain international midfielder’s tenure started on the perfect note. A ruthless 4-0 demolition of Schalke last Saturday blew away the cobwebs and has now set the tone for a pulsating new dawn that enables Bayer supporters to dream again, despite languishing in 15th position in the Bundesliga.

Alonso will be unequivocally supported by a firm footballing infrastructure off the field – one that is united in its efforts to ensure Bayer can become a major force not only in Germany but on the continental stage, as well.

For 40-year-old Rolfes, whose enthusiasm for his work is infectiously compelling, success derives from dedication, extensive planning and fine-tuning the club’s relentless recruitment drive – now widely recognised as among the best in Europe – to give Bayer an added edge on fellow competitors.

“You always have to start with defining a clear strategy for your club. It’s about determining your identity, your playing style and what you intend to achieve,” Rolfes told Express Sport, in an exclusive interview earlier this summer.

“When you find a clear strategy, you also then have to determine your positioning in the European landscape. Then it’s about clarifying how you can progress in the best way possible. Your scouting has to follow this strategy, it includes where you scout, what leagues you analyse and what age groups you’re targeting, etcetera.

“Then it’s about the planning of the squad and the connection with your scouting department. Most of the time, we sign really young guys with a lot of potential.

“They then have to develop, so you have to invest time and work with them to ensure they improve. It’s easy to say but difficult to accomplish.”

Recent Premier League expenditure in the past three summers suggests Bayer have cracked it. Leverkusen poster boy Kai Havertz was sold to Chelsea in 2020 for an eye-watering £72million fee before Jamaica international winger Leon Bailey followed suit one year later, joining Aston Villa for £29m.

However, it’s not simply about overturning mega-profits for Rolfes, who has vowed to change his club’s traditional way of thinking. Instead, he is vying to extend the contracts of Bayer’s most valuable assets, as part of a succinct plan to keep his MVPs for a few additional seasons.

This summer, Newcastle – the wealthiest club in world football following the completion of the £305million Saudi-backed takeover – were considering a big-money swoop for 26-year-old Czech striker Patrik Schick, who starred at Euro 2020 before later hitting 24 Bundesliga goals last season.

But Rolfes was not prepared to entertain the idea of another blockbuster payday and instead flew to Prague in the player’s homeland to finalise a new deal for his frontman as he began rehabilitation following groin surgery. It’s the kind of personal touch that has helped establish Rolfes’ reputation as one of the most respected figures within German football.

“We knew on that position [interest in Schick], that there are not a lot of players operating at Patrik’s level. Firstly, it was really important to show commitment from our side,” he said.

“We want to improve as a club but also with our players. We want to keep them for perhaps one or two years longer. Five years ago, we would probably just sell them.

“Patrick is an integral player. We saw it during the European Championships and then he played another fantastic season in the Bundesliga. He has great technique, he is a great header of the ball, so skilful and for us, it’s a massive thing that he extended his contract.

“We did not receive any offers this summer but sensed they were probably coming. There has been some interest but nothing was concrete. For both sides, it was clear that we wanted to continue working together.”

Newcastle had also tried their luck for Moussa Diaby, one of Bayer’s shining lights last season, but they were told under no uncertain terms that the jet-heeled 23-year-old winger was not for sale. Arsenal have also been circling but any deal would require an irresistible sum of cash.

For Rolfes, Diaby’s eye-catching development truly embodies the hard work going on behind the scenes in Leverkusen, where player development is a priority.

“When I see Moussa Diaby, for example, from when he joined three years ago compared to now in front of the goal, it’s not by coincidence that he scores more goals,” Rolfes added on the Frenchman.

“You can see it in training. He works a lot on his finishing. He missed a lot of goals a few years ago, also in training but now it’s a different story. You can see the progress of our players… sometimes you have to give them a little bit of time but to work individually with the players, it’s key. They have to learn a lot.

“For sure, we want to keep Moussa for as long as possible. I know a lot of scouts have been sitting on our tribune during our matches because we have a lot of interesting, exciting young players with high potential.

“So, it’s the same as Schick. We did not receive any offers for him but we are not even looking for that at the moment. We wanted to keep him and play Champions League football with him this season.”

An unnamed former team-mate of Rolfes recently texted him to congratulate him on obtaining the services of the Czech Republic’s “two best players” after he landed highly-coveted 20-year-old striker Adam Hlozek from Sparta Prague this summer for a fee of £11m. Arsenal had also been looking at the player and should Bayer eventually lose Schick, they now have a ready-made replacement in the form of his compatriot.

Leverkusen scored 80 Bundesliga goals last season, their best-ever return. While things have not gone entirely to plan this term, the club have been striving to continue their ascendancy toward the summit of German football.

Bayer may not possess the financial muscle and spending power of Bayern Munich or even Borussia Dortmund but their hawk eye for young talent has created hope and optimism of a bright future under Alonso which will hopefully see them rub shoulders with Europe’s elite.

Rolfes continued: “The ambition had been to progress and reach more points this season. With Bayern Munich it’s never easy, they are always reaching 80 points. It’s a little bit like in England, there you usually have two teams in Manchester City and Liverpool competing for the title.

“But if you want to compete, you have to reach a really high number of points. The best way is to look at yourself and try to improve. We have a lot of potential and a lot of areas to improve. For sure, we want to attack but really to say ‘okay, we can now compare with Bayern’ – it’s certainly not the right time to do that.”

In addition to Schick and Diaby, Alonso has been blessed with the chance to work with some of the best unsung young players that the Bundesliga has to offer in the form of ball-playing defender Edmond Tapsoba and attacker Florian Wirtz, who is currently nursing a long-term injury.

Once again, Rolfes is not surprised to see the Burkina Faso international centre-back, signed from Vitoria Guimaraes for £17.5m in January 2020, linked with a whole host of Premier League clubs including Chelsea and Arsenal. However, his motto remains the same: you can look but you cannot touch.

He added on the 23-year-old: “I can imagine that there are many stories about him in England. There have been no talks so far. We want to keep him as he’s a fantastic player. He has one incredible quality that is his buildup play. It’s perfect for our playing style. He has a long contract so there is no need for us to speak about him.”

Bayer’s ever-impressive and pristine track record of developing talent and providing frequent playing opportunities is evidently widely respected on English shores after Jadon Sancho’s trailblazing transfer to Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2017 – both by clubs and players.

Everton winger Demerai Gray enjoyed a short-lived six-month spell at the BayArena after leaving Leicester in January 2021, while Callum Hudson-Odoi is currently thriving on loan from Chelsea. Marauding Dutch wing-back Jeremie Frimpong, formerly of Celtic and Manchester City has also one of Bayer’s latest revelations this season and he netted twice in Alonso’s debut victory following his surprise, left-field January 2021 transfer from Scotland.

Rolfes is adamant the recent spike of players moving from English and British football to the Bundesliga is no coincidence, as he cites the division’s commitment to fielding young players in pursuit of exciting rewards.

“We have a high number and high percentage of really young players playing in the Bundesliga in comparison to other leagues like the Premier League and La Liga,” he stated. “It’s a good chance to get minutes at a high level, it’s a really professional environment.

“For us as a club, it’s part of our strategy that we sign young players, develop them and they have to have the chance to play. That’s why we don’t have a huge squad, we want to create a squad where everyone has a chance to play. Sometimes when you see some other clubs, they have huge squads and then it becomes difficult to get minutes.”

Bayer Leverkusen may not be Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund but with the unique driving force and footballing intelligence of Rolfes behind them, Alonso is certainly in capable hands in his quest to knock Germany’s two premiere clubs off their perch.

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