Bayern Munich: 5 Possible Replacements Should Xabi Alonso Leave the Champions

Bayern Munich's squad may at times seem to be buckling under the sheer weight of talent that the Bavarian side bolster but there's one key aspect of this team that will have to be addressed and ultimately replaced before too long. 

At the very heart of Bayern's midfield and the football that Pep Guardiola is so adamant at playing is Xabi Alonso. The 33-year-old World Cup winner will eventually leave Munich through choice or sheer necessity. 

As such, the powers that be at the German giants will already be working away on a whole shortlist of players who could one day replace the supreme passer of the ball. 

Here are five for your consideration. 

Thiago Alcantara

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

The first player on today’s list who currently picks up his wages from Bayern is of course Thiago Alcantara. 

The Brazilian-born Spanish international arrived in Munich along with Guardiola and has held a special bond with the coach from a very young age and knows exactly what the former Barcelona manager demands of his players. 

With an indistinguishable ability to play tiki-taka and perform at the foot of the midfield system, Thiago truly is the no-brainer in any debate regarding Alonso’s eventual successor. 

Marco Verratti

Lionel Cironneau/Associated Press

A few years ago Marco Verratti was the most in-form central midfielder in Europe as he jostled and weaved through opponents each week for Pescara.

Now the Italian international finds himself playing in France for Paris Saint-Germain in a bit-part role and perhaps a little frustrated at the lack of progress he's made since leaving Italy. 

At 23 years of age, Veratti has all the skill and talent to succeed at Bayern and has an exceptional range of passing that would make him a perfect fit for any Alonso-sized hole in Guardiola’s team. 

Let's see him in Munich, under a proper coach and watch him prosper. 

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

Another player on the Bayern books who could one day come to replace Alonso is of course one of the their most cherished youth products, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. 

The Danish international is far from the finished article and seems further away from first-team football in Munich than ever, but he is a favoured talent of Guardiola’s and come next season or the year after we may finally see this player leading Bayern’s midfield with all the technique and skill that Alonso shows now. 

Ilkay Gundogan

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

Yes, today we have Ilkay Gundogan in the running but in truth it wouldn’t be a potential Bayern shopping list if it didn’t have at least one talent from the Westfalenstadion on it. 

Although Gundogan is primarily a box-to-box midfielder for Jurgen Klopp, his passing and ability to close down opposing midfields make him truly invaluable to any side he's in. 

If Bayern want the best central midfielder in Germany once Alonso hangs up his boots, then they’ll undoubtedly have to go for the Borussia Dortmund star. 

Morgan Schneiderlin

Darko Vojinovic/Associated Press

In Morgan Schneiderlin Bayern would be capturing one of the most talented and potentially gifted midfielders in the Premier League and undoubtedly the main catalyst behind Southampton’s rise in the English top division. 

Schneiderlin, like Gundogan, enjoys the odd run up the pitch and may need to be retrained in that regard to keep him at the heart of Bayern's midfield, but his passing accuracy is unquestionably of the standard needed to replace Alonso at Bayern. 

A talented midfielder who would only add to this Bayern side.