Who will be Real Madrid’s next manager? Jurgen Klopp and six other candidates to replace Xabi Alonso

Xabi Alonso’s shock exit from Real Madrid leaves a vacancy for someone to step into one of the most lucrative yet perilous jobs in world football.

The Spanish coach was hired from Bayer Leverkusen after a stunning run in the Bundesliga, with the Basque helping to dethrone Bayern Munich and end a run of 11 successive league titles, but managed just seven months in the Bernabeu role as mixed results piled on the pressure.

Real Madrid’s 4-3 loss to Barcelona in the Supercopa final on Sunday proved the final straw, with Alvaro Arbeloa, a former teammate of Alonso at Liverpool and Real, being appointed as his successor.

The wording of the club’s statement suggests that the Arbeloa, who was promoted from his role as coach of Real Madrid’s reserve team, is a permanent arrival rather than an interim one, but as the former right-back steps into one of the the most pressurised positions in football, time will tell whether Los Blancos choose to stick or twist.

Should the Spanish giants opt for the latter, former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is among the favourites to be appointed, while there is talk Real could try and tempt legendary ex-Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp back into management.

Here are the candidates to replace Xabi Alonso in the Real Madrid dugout:

The Italian coach left Chelsea at the beginning of the month after 18 months, following a rapid fallout with the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge. It came just half a year after lifting the Club World Cup with the Blues, besting a Paris Saint-Germain side in the final that trounced Alonso’s Real in the semi-finals. Maresca has been linked with becoming the next manager at Manchester City, should Pep Guardiola leave, but could the prospect of managing the goliaths of Real Madrid be too good to pass up?

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The legendary French midfielder-turned-manager is already vetted at Real Madrid, having coached at the Bernabeu for five seasons across two stints. Guiding Real to two La Liga titles as well as three consecutive Champions League triumphs between 2016 and 2018, Zidane is a proven winner in the Spanish capital and could be called upon to guide the club out of the darkness, getting ahold of the dressing room that Alonso couldn’t control.

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Klopp bowed out gracefully from management in May 2024 after a glory-laden nine seasons with Liverpool, delivering a first Premier League title in 30 years as well as a sixth Champions League at Anfield. The German has since seemed content in his cushty post-coaching role as Head of Global Soccer at Red Bull, but having always been linked with an eventual move to Real Madrid, could a call from Florentino Perez peak his interest?

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The Spanish 43-year-old has stamped his mark as one of the most promising managers in European football over the past couple of years, transforming Bournemouth into a team challenging for the top half in the Premier League, and one whose players have warranted eye-watering transfer fees from Europe’s big hitters - most recently Antoine Semenyo, who sealed his £62.5m move to Manchester City last week. It’s question of when he makes the step up, not if, and the former Athletic Bilbao defender will no doubt be enticed by a move to his homeland if Real Madrid come calling.

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Crossing the El Clasico divide is always risky business in Spain, but if you ask the likes of Ronaldo, Luis Figo and Samuel Eto’o, they’ll attest that it can reap rewards. Former Barcelona boss Enrique guided PSG to their holy grail of winning the Champions League last year, and with French football otherwise offering up little challenge, could the 55-year-old be tempted to ditch previous loyalties and align with the Madridistas?

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Crystal Palace manager Glasner looks set to depart Selhurst Park when his contract expires in the summer and while Manchester United are currently the frontrunners for the Austrian, Real Madrid could also now be in contention. The 51-year-old led Palace to FA Cup glory, Palace’s first-ever major piece of silverware, and a 12th-place finish in the Premier League last season. However, Saturday’s cup humiliation at the hands of sixth-tier Macclesfield could well have put the Spanish giants off.

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Former Brighton boss De Zerbi has been impressing in the Marseille dugout for the past two seasons and the Italian may be find himself on Real Madrid’s shortlist, 18 months after he was reportedly targeted by rivals Barcelona to replace Xavi Hernandez.

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