Surprising manager leaves door open for Real Madrid move that could shake up the Bernabeu
Real Madrid is on the lookout for their new manager for next season after they replaced Xabi Alonso with Alvaro Arbeloa as interim coach in January. Both former Liverpool stars have had a tough time leading Los Blancos this season, and the club might end the year without any trophies if they lose to Barcelona in El Clasico.
Things haven’t gone smoothly for Madrid ahead of this big derby, especially since reports say Federico Valverde was hospitalized after a clash with Aurelien Tchouameni. Arbeloa has taken full responsibility for this and other incidents that happened in the lead-up to El Clasico, but these issues probably don’t inspire much confidence that the 2010 World Cup winner is the right person to guide the team forward.
There’s talk that Jose Mourinho might come back as Real Madrid’s permanent manager. He left the club in 2013 after three years and had success, winning La Liga and the Copa del Rey during his time. But according to the Spanish outlet Defensa Central, another former Real Madrid manager is interested in returning.
The report mentions Xabi Alonso, who was dismissed just four months ago. It seems the club legend wants to come back and build a strong team like he did with Bayer Leverkusen. Alonso feels that taking the job at Real Madrid was poorly timed since the team was already in trouble during Ancelotti’s last year, and, in his view, the players’ attitude wasn’t quite right.
Still, Alonso knows he won’t be the next permanent manager anytime soon, especially while Florentino Perez is club president. Chelsea and Liverpool are also reportedly interested in Alonso as their next manager because both clubs are facing challenges. It looks like Alonso might head to the Premier League to gain more experience before making another attempt to return to Real Madrid.