Potential Real Madrid Managerial Target Approached For New Job
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On Monday afternoon, Real Madrid decided to part ways with manager Xabi Alonso after just six months in charge, following a disappointing 3-2 defeat to arch rivals Barcelona on Sunday.
Moments after announcing Alonso's departure, the club confirmed that Alvaro Arbeloa would be taking over as manager of the first team, replacing his former teammate at Liverpool, Real Madrid, and the Spain national team.
The wording of the club's statement announcing Arbeloa has been widely discussed. The word 'interim' was not used, nor was the word 'permanent'. Therefore, many people have asked - is this a temporary or fixed appointment?
It probably suggests there is no immediate rush to hire a new manager. It is important not to make any emotional decisions too soon. However, you would imagine that at some point, the club would want an external name to take the job.
At the moment, the managerial market is pretty thin. So, there have not been many names mentioned. One of the few who have is former Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, but he has appeared to rule himself out.
Zinedine Zidane reportedly close to new job
One other name that has inevitably been mentioned is former Los Blancos player and manager, Zinedine Zidane. The 53-year-old has not been in a managerial role since leaving Real Madrid at the conclusion of the 2020-21 season, which was his second managerial spell in charge of the club.
So, with the club presumably needing a new manager at some point, it was almost impossible for there not to be talk about him being Alonso's potential permanent replacement within the fanbase and media.
However, it appears as if Zidane is going to be preoccupied. As per French outlet L'Equipe, the French football federation (FFF) have made the first steps towards appointing 'Zizou' as the national team's new manager.
Last year, it was confirmed that Didier Deschamps would leave his post as France manager after 14 years in the role, during which the team won a World Cup and the UEFA Nations League, and was a Euro and World Cup finalist on other occasions.
In their report, L'Equipe states that despite the desire of the FFF president to wait until the end of the World Cup, the federation are already working on the possible arrival of Zidane, including his potential backroom staff.
It appears as if the federation have concerns that if they wait too long, he could be snapped up by someone else in the meantime. There is every chance that the sacking of Alonso has played a part in their decision to act as soon as possible.
Truth be told, it would be quite a shame. If the appointment of Alonso has told us anything, it is that being Real Madrid manager is 80% about managing people and egos. And there is nobody better than Zidane.
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Tom Vinall is a sports writer covering Real Madrid On SI. Previously, he had worked at FanSided as both a contributor and site expert, covering the likes of Spurs and Bayern Munich. He has also previously written for Transfer News Live. Tom was born and lives in Bristol, South West England, and loves to listen to music as well as learning Spanish.
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