Former England midfielder Joe Cole has claimed Xabi Alonso made a “terrible decision” by rejecting Liverpool and Bayern Munich to stay at Bayer Leverkusen.
Alonso, who had emerged as a top candidate to replace Jurgen Klopp at Anfield, confirmed on Friday that he wants to stay at his current club.
The Spaniard wants to remain with Leverkusen, who are poised for a potential Champions League campaign and Bundesliga title defence next season.
However, Cole, in an interview with TNT Sports, said: “I think it’s a terrible decision. As managers, your stock goes up and down so quickly; he’s the hottest property in world football management right now. I think he should’ve made the move this summer.
“In a year’s time, it could be completely different; keeping this team together is going to be tough enough because they’ve got some fantastic players and all the giants in Europe are going to be looking at them.”