Real Madrid President advised by fellow directors to pursue Alonso alternative

Real Madrid may well be looking to appoint a new manager this summer, depending how the next two months go for Carlo Ancelotti. However there has been little talk of a ‘search’ for a new coach.

Ancelotti has a year left on his deal at the Santiago Bernabeu, but the Italian’s future hinges on whether he brings in silverware this season, and some say he needs a turnaround against Arsenal in the Champions League to convince President Florentino Perez that his cycle has not come to an end. The lack of cohesion all season and the defensive struggles have not been solved by Ancelotti, despite appearing some months ago.

The reason there has been no talk of a search is that most believe Real Madrid already have their man; if Ancelotti goes, they will go for Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso. Despite Leverkusen Sporting Director Simon Rolfes claiming publicly that Alonso would be staying, most expect Los Blancos to go after the Basque manager if Ancelotti does leave.

However Sport say that some of the directors at the Santiago Bernabeu have advised Perez to go after a different candidate this summer. They note that a number of agents see former Liverpool man Jurgen Klopp as a candidate, and have made the case to Perez that he would be an impact signing, someone capable of overhauling the squad tactically and quickly.

In addition, they note that he would have more cachet with a star-studded squad, and would perhaps be better at dealing with the pressure. Klopp was a candidate several years ago for Los Blancos, but is now heading up Red Bull’s football operations, after stepping away from management.

Klopp seems unlikely to come out of retirement, and while Real Madrid might be the most tempting job around, Los Blancos do contrast significantly with what he has done previously. Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool are two clubs with a strong community feel and were rebuilding projects without major egos, whereas Real Madrid tends to be a job without total authority.