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
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
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
Arsenal are one of the clubs looking to stop Liverpool from ending the Klopp-era in the best possible way
Arteta admitted that he expected Alonso to remain in Germany despite reported interest from the Premier League.
Arteta
"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 Liverpool. Unbelievable career.
"And I knew. I knew he was going to be a coach. I knew he was going to be a top coach. I am really happy for him."
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