Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso kicks players out

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• Sardar Azmoun did not appear at Bayer Leverkusen's official training kick-off. He took part in performance tests the day before.
• The Iranian belatedly apologized for his absence. But that doesn't help - coach Xabi Alonso has ruled him out.
• Azmoun played for AS Roma on loan last season and would probably have had to leave the club this summer anyway, despite having a contract until 2027.

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Sardar Azmoun skipped Bayer Leverkusen's official training session on Monday. The 29-year-old striker only explained his unexcused absence after the training session. "He wasn't feeling well. He let us know a little too late. As a result, he will now complete an individual program," said a spokesperson when asked by dpa.

The apology came too late: coach Xabi Alonso kicked Azmoun out after the breach of the team code. On Sunday, the Iranian was still at Bayer for performance diagnostics. According to "Bild", he did not make the best impression there.

Azmoun's uncertain future

Last season, Azmoun was loaned out to AS Roma, who let a purchase option with a fixed transfer fee of twelve million euros expire. It has actually been clear for some time that he has no future in Leverkusen. What exactly he wanted to achieve by staying away remains questionable. He may have wanted to put pressure on Bayer to let him leave on his own terms.

After all, Azmoun still has a contract at Leverkusen until 2027, which is why they certainly don't want to let him leave on a free transfer. Azmoun came from Zenit St. Petersburg at the beginning of 2022 for a transfer fee of €2.5 million.

FC Seville are reportedly interested in loaning him out, but clubs from Saudi Arabia are also said to have put out feelers. It remains unclear where he will end up. In any case, he no longer has a future in Leverkusen, at least since the training scandal. He now only trains individually and at different times to the stars.