Former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso has been confirmed as the new head coach of Bayer Leverkusen following the dismissal of Gerardo Seoane.
The move was confirmed after Bayer's midweek Champions League defeat by FC Porto, with the team's European struggles combined with struggling in the bottom three of the Bundesliga with five points from their opening eight league games.
A report from German media outlet Sport 1 suggested Leverkusen made an approach to appoint the out-of-work Thomas Tuchel, following his dismissal from Chelsea last month, but this approach was rejected and Bayer subsequently turned to Alonso.
Alonso is now set for his first major coaching role after three years at the helm of Real Sociedad's B team in Spain.
The former central midfielder is highly regarded in coaching circles and he guided the team to promotion to the second tier of Spanish football in his second campaign but left his post at the end of last season following the side's relegation.
Alonso spent the final three years of his playing career in Germany with Bayern Munich, accumulating 117 first-team appearances between 2014 and 2017, helping the club to win three successive Bundesliga titles.
In a statement on Bayer's website, Alonso has said: "I know Leverkusen from my time in Germany as an excellent club. Bayer 04 have always had great players, so I see a lot of quality in the current squad.
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"In my discussions with the club, it quickly became clear that, despite the current difficult situation, ambitious goals are still being pursued in principle. This task appeals to me very much and I am sure that we will live up to the claim."
The former central midfielder secured his requisite coaching badges in 2018 and was subsequently appointed as coach of Real Madrid's Under-14 team, before moving to take up the position at Real Sociedad's B team the following year.
Alonso was heavily linked with the Borussia Monchengladbach job last year before he ultimately decided to reject that offer. There had been an expectation Alonso would eventually take over the senior Real Sociedad side, but with Imanol Alguacil continuing to thrive, he decided to depart at the end of last season.
Bayer's sporting director Simon Rolfes added: "In Xabi Alonso, we have signed a coach who, as a player, was an absolute world-class professional for many years, an intelligent strategist and extremely successful in three of the most demanding European leagues."
Of Seoane's departure after 15 months at the helm, he said: "Unfortunately, we have strayed from our road to success. From our point of view, the early elimination from the DFB Cup, but especially the fact that the current position in the Bundesliga is far below our expectations, made the change of coach imperative."
Bayern Munich CEO Karl Heinz Rummenigge previously told German media outlet Bild: "I think Xabi Alonso will be an interesting coach for Bayern at some point in the future. He's a great guy, a smart guy. Xabi has that empathy that you need especially with today's generation of players."
