Carles Martínez aiming to follow in Xabi Alonso's footsteps at Bayer Leverkusen
New Bayer Leverkusen coach Carles Martínez says he intends to use former boss Xabi Alonso’s success at the club “as a reference” as he embarks on his first season at the BayArena.
Leverkusen were in the relegation zone when Alonso took charge in October 2022 but went on to win their first-ever Bundesliga title in 2023/24, as well as becoming the first German club to go an entire league season unbeaten.
Alonso’s side completed the domestic double by beating Kaiserslautern in the DFB Cup final and only narrowly missed out on UEFA Europa League glory, losing to Serie A side Atalanta in the 2024 showpiece in Dublin.
Leverkusen parted ways with former boss Kasper Hjulmand after ending the 2025/26 campaign in sixth place, but Martínez is hopeful of following in the footsteps of compatriot Alonso - who was recently appointed the new head coach of English Premier League side Chelsea.
Speaking at his official unveiling on Friday, Martínez said he intends to speak with Alonso before the start of next season. “It’s very important what he did at this club," he told the assembled media. “It’s a reference - it was amazing. There are a lot of things that we will try and do that are similar, because that’s our idea as Spanish coaches.”
“Alonso showed perfectly what our idea is. I will talk to him. He’s a good guy and he wishes Leverkusen all the best.”
Martínez, who helped develop the likes of Fermín López, Gavi and former RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons at Barcelona’s famed La Maria academy, stopped short of revealing how he intends to steer Leverkusen back into the UEFA Champions League places next season.
However, the Catalan did drop several hints as to how he might set his team up - clues that will have been music to the ears of Leverkusen supporters hoping to see their side challenge on all fronts again next term.
“In Spain, my role was to be active and aggressive,” he said. “We always talk about possession. You’re better when you have the ball.
“I obviously like that, but the key is what we can do to create a lot of chances and give the opponents the feeling that Leverkusen are an amazing side.
“It’s clear what I want to do, but I’m not going to tell you here - I want to speak to the players first.”
Following Martínez’s appointment on Thursday, Leverkusen managing director for sport Simon Rolfes said the 42-year-old was regarded as the “best fit for Bayer’s next phase of development”, citing his record of developing young players and shaping an internationally diverse squad into a cohesive unit.
Rolfes was keen to underline those points again at Friday’s press conference, adding that Martínez’s passion and ambition to improve as a coach persuaded the Leverkusen hierarchy to make their move.
“His manner, his passion, his openness and communication make him an exceptional fit,” Rolfes said. “There may have been some surprise initially, but when you look at Carles’ CV and if you know about Bayer Leverkusen, it’s not a surprising appointment.
“We’re a club who are capable of developing outstanding talents. It’s an important point for us to help young players reach the top internationally. It’s part of our DNA.”
It appears to be part of Martinez’s DNA too. In his third and final season at Toulouse, the average age of Les Violets’ starting XI was 23.5 years - the youngest in Ligue 1 behind reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain and 2025/26 UEFA Conference League semi-finalists Strasbourg.
While his arrival is excellent news for fledgling Leverkusen stars hoping to become the next Kai Havertz or Florian Wirtz, Martínez knows his youth record is not the only metric on which he will be judged.
“Leverkusen are a top club, among the top three or four in German Bundesliga,” he said. “It’s a fantastic league, a strong league. On the outside, we’ve seen it continue to grow.
“We also need to grow. Every day is important. I can’t wait to get started.”
