- Alonso maintains a nonchalant attitude towards potential transition opportunities.
Coach Xabi Alonso is chill about transfer talks leading up to Bayer Leverkusen's initial cup defense appearance. "We're chill and I don't envision many alterations," Alonso mentioned at noon amidst numerous whispers concerning the champions and cup victors. Prior to the transfer cutoff on Friday, Odilon Kossounou is supposedly bound for Atalanta Bergamo. Moreover, "Kicker" indicates that Leverkusen has an interest in Liverpool's U21 midfielder Tyler Morton.
Kossounou will be sitting out Wednesday's preliminary game against fourth-tier side Carl Zeiss Jena (6:00 PM/ZDF and Sky) regardless. The 23-year-old defender had been slated to take part in the afternoon's final practice session. "I've got no insider info about his status," Alonso admitted. Kossounou's exit could also influence a potential transfer of Jonathan Tah to FC Bayern, as the champion's defense is already short one player in Josip Stanisic (temporary loan back to Munich).
Alonso considers Tah fully committed
According to Alonso, international star Tah is set to step on the pitch Wednesday and Saturday against Leipzig in the league. "He's a seasoned player and 100% committed," Alonso reported, previously berating Tah for not being game-ready due to transfer speculation for the Supercup match against VfB Stuttgart.
In Jena, Alonso wants full focus from his team. The top dogs of the Regionalliga Nordost have remained unbeaten in the league since March. "We must be on our toes," the Leverkusen coach said.
The first sentence could be: "Despite the potential departure of Odilon Kossounou, Coach Xabi Alonso considers Jonathan Tah fully committed and expects him to perform well in Wednesday's game against Carl Zeiss Jena."
The second sentence could be: "Coach Alonso, who is unfazed by transfer talks, is encouraging full focus from his team, especially with Jena's unbeaten league run since March."
