By Rune Gjerulff@runegjerulff

Grimaldo praises Xabi Alonso: "I want to keep improving with him"

Alex Grimaldo has sung the praises of Xabi Alonso and expressed his hope that the Spaniard will remain at Bayer Leverkusen despite reported interest from Bayern Munich and Livepool.
Alex Grimaldo has had an impressive first season in the Bundesliga, scoring nine goals and laying on 12 assists in the league for Bayer Leverkusen from the left wing-back position following his move from Benfica in the summer.

In general, Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen side have been very successful and their achievements have seen the Spaniard linked with Bayern Munich and Liverpool, who are both looking for a new coach.

Grimaldo, of course, is hoping that Xabi will stay put and speaks very highly of the former Spain international.

"He will know what decision to make. It's clear that I want to keep improving with him," Grimaldo told Marca.

"I've had very good coaches throughout my career, both at Barcelona and Benfica, but Xabi is special. There are not many coaches like him in the world of football.

"It is true that he has just started but, I insist, you can already see that he has some ideas, a way of teaching, a way of reading the games that makes the players grow. This year we are all showing the best version of ourselves."

Grimaldo has a contract with Leverkusen until 2027.

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