Mauricio Pochettino ‘Shortlisted’ for Huge Post-USMNT Role
Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly a contender to become the next Real Madrid manager, as the club weighs up options to replace Álvaro Arbeloa.
Los Blancos never confirmed the length of Arbeloa’s contract when he was quickly promoted from Real Madrid Castilla manager to fill the gap left by Xabi Alonso’s dismissal.
FREE NEWSLETTER. New SI FC Newsletter Global Embed. Sign Up to Get Informed With SI FC. dark
Results have been mixed, to say the least, with high-profile and costly defeats against Albacete and Benfica standout moments for the wrong reasons. Madrid also lost back-to-back La Liga matches against Osasuna and Getafe, prior to Friday’s win against Celta Vigo.
Only a record-extending 16th Champions League triumph might buy Arbeloa more time.
It doesn’t necessarily mean Arbeloa will have to leave the club, with ESPN reporting that he could be offered another position instead, even potentially returning to his former Castilla role.
Pochettino’s Career History Carries Appeal
At senior level, a change looks increasingly likely. The same ESPN report notes that Pochettino is “highly regarded” by Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez. Among his many pluses are a knowledge of La Liga from his playing career with Espanyol—Barcelona’s city rivals, a résumé of elite clubs like Paris Saint-Germain, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea and a history with Kylian Mbappé.
Pochettino, whose USMNT contract runs out when the 2026 World Cup ends and would therefore be able to start work some time in July, has stated on more than one occasion his desire to return to Tottenham before he retires. But whether now is the right time is highly debatable, with Spurs fighting against the genuine threat of relegation from the Premier League.
Next. Jurgen Klopp, Red Bull: Is Trouble Brewing?. Jurgen Klopp, Red Bull: Is Trouble Brewing?. dark
Manager Options Thin on the Ground for Real Madrid
Spanish media has thrown out the names of Jürgen Klopp, Unai Emery and Massimiliano Allegri, but there is no standout candidate for Los Blancos in the way that Xabi Alonso, as a former player, had stood head and shoulders above the crowd this time last year.
There appears to be uncertainty about Klopp’s place within Red Bull’s soccer operation, but whether he wants to return to management—especially under a spotlight as intense as Real Madrid—is unclear. Emery has achieved miracles with Aston Villa but has a reputation as a club builder rather than a manager of elite teams, while Allegri would be a gamble having never left Italy.
Zinedine Zidane, who hasn’t worked since leaving Real Madrid for the second time in 2021—at the end of a much less successful second spell in charge—is reported to be Pérez’s “greatest wish.” But there is a longstanding belief he has spent years waiting for the France national team job to open up, which it finally will this year when Didier Deschamps steps aside after the World Cup.
READ THE LATEST REAL MADRID NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FC
feed