Klopp tops underwhelming list of contenders to replace Alonso at Real Madrid | OneFootball

Xabi Alonso is said to be a ‘dead’ man walking at Real Madrid, but the absence of stand-out candidates to take over could spare him…

Manchester City piled the pressure on Alonso with a 2-1 victory over Real at the Bernabeu in what was reported to be a must-win game for the Spanish boss.

Apparently, Alonso has lost the dressing room over his insistence on, y’know, coaching and tactics.

So, if Alonso is destined for the sack inside his first season in charge, who are the contenders to take charge?

Here, according to the bookies, are the 10 favourites…

10) Simeone Inzaghi

Inzaghi fled to Saudi in the summer after five years at Lazio and four years at Inter, in which he won a Serie A title, but was last seen having his arse handed to him by Luis Enrique and PSG in the Champions League final, having already lost one to Manchester City in 2023. Which does not feel compatible with a club that, quite reasonably, takes so much pride in their European Cup success.

9) Steven Gerrard

Hiring an iconic 2000s midfielder worked for Real before so crack on, Florentino, and get that Comunicado Oficial drafted. Please…

8) Unai Emery

At the time of writing, Emery is priced the same as Gerrard. No, us neither.

Spanish; experienced; with a track record of success at home, abroad and in European competition… Emery is ticking boxes.

He enjoyed mixed success in the two really big jobs he’s had: PSG and Arsenal. At the Emirates, following Arsene Wenger was always going to be a tough gig, while in Paris, he succeeded domestically (a given, really), but is remembered for ‘La Remontada’ when PSG caved to Barcelona.

No doubt Villa have pushed that narrative towards Madrid to avoid losing one of the best managers in the business.

7) Fabian Hurzeler

If the Real players aren’t having Alonso, with his pedigree, we can’t imagine them running through brick walls for a manager only a week older than Antonio Rudiger and younger than Dani Carvajal, Thibaut Courtois and David Alaba.

Hurzeler will quite likely boss at the very highest level, but not just yet.

6) Roberto De Zerbi

De Zerbi took Brighton into Europe and straightened out Marseille, taking them from eighth to closest to PSG in Ligue 1. The Italian was linked with Real amid his success with the Seagulls and it would be no surprise if he was one of the strongest contenders once more.

His style of football would certainly excite Real fans, and his combustible nature would be box office for the rest of us. Not so much, though, for Florentino Perez. Which, for now, would be the biggest obstacle for De Zerbi to overcome if he fancies the Bernabeu hot seat.

5) Andoni Iraola

The Bournemouth boss was linked with Real in the spring before Alonso’s appointment and Iraola has continued to enhance his credentials since.

The Spaniard is a more recognisable name for supporters, but would he command respect from the egos in the Real dressing room?

4) Oliver Glasner

The Palace boss has done an incredible job at Selhurst Park and no doubt he deserves a bigger gig.

Glasner, though, would be a tough sell for the Real board to their supporters. Which says more about them than the Austrian.

With a track record of success in England, Liverpool appears a much more likely destination for Glasner than Madrid.

3) Alvaro Arbeoa

In the absence of the ideal candidate, Arbeloa is fancied for a promotion from the Real Madrid Castilla role he has held since May this year, replacing Raul, who got bored of waiting for his chance to step up to the top job.

The former Real and Liverpool defender is highly regarded having worked his way through the coaching ranks from the U14s. Which is hugely creditable, but not very Real Madrid.

2) Zinedine Zidane

This is probably it. Zidane hasn’t managed since leaving Real Madrid, denying us all the opportunity to suss whether the French icon is a great coach, or a great Real Madrid coach. But Zizou is almost certainly biding his time for the France national team job after the World Cup, allowing Florentino Perez to to give it Zidane ’til the end of the season.

Zidane and Perez parted on frosty terms in 2021 but the pair were reunited at the Bernabeu last month during the NFL game in Madrid.

1) Jurgen Klopp

The ex-Liverpool manager has had his break and maybe the German is bored of the statesman slog with Red Bull. Apparently, not. That said, some reports suggested there are only two managerial jobs he would dip his toe back in for: Brazil and Real Madrid.

However, we can’t see Klopp going in at the Bernabeu and tolerating the kind of standards that Alonso is struggling to raise.