Álvaro Arbeloa was chosen to try to change Real Madrid’s course after Xabi Alonso’s dismissal, and it appears he is succeeding.
In particular, he has helped rebuild a connection between coach and players that previously seemed to be missing. Along the way, as has happened so many times before, a host of rumours and names linked to the club’s future have fallen by the wayside, but the decision has once again been to back a homegrown figure. One of the coaches whose name continues to resurface is Jürgen Klopp, who, yet again, will have to wait.
The German and Real Madrid have been linked in one form or another for the past thirteen years, more because of external circumstances than any direct negotiations. Whether grounded in fact or entirely unfounded, Klopp has tended to appear during moments of crisis, after the departures of major coaches such as Zidane and Ancelotti, or even after a couple of poor results. The context has never really mattered. The former Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool manager inevitably enters the conversation among fans and journalists, fuelling rumours, predictions and wishful thinking about the Real Madrid bench. It never fails. And in truth, the German has rarely, if ever, acted with any ulterior motive.
This time, Klopp’s name has once again been present. The main difference is that the Red Bull group’s sporting director has spoken publicly and clarified his position regarding Xabi Alonso. Last spring, amid what seemed like Ancelotti’s impending departure and the lack of confirmation over the former Leverkusen manager’s arrival, Klopp’s agent denied any possibility of him leaving his home in Mallorca or his role within the sporting structure created by the energy drink company.
Recent reports in Germany, claiming to speak on behalf of the manager’s entourage, have begun to question his retirement from coaching. However, Klopp himself has publicly stated that he is very happy in his current role. “I am in a place, as a person, where I am completely at peace, and I am where I want to be. I don’t want to be anywhere else.”
He also addressed the idea of a future offer. “For now, I’d say no, but you can never say never. I don’t expect to change my mind, but you never know.” That comment leaves the door open to all possibilities and inevitably fuels the hopes of his many supporters, eager to see the former Liverpool European champion back on the touchline.
Back in 2014, Real Madrid executives were openly asked for their opinion of Klopp. The response was blunt: “So far, he’s only coached children.” At the time, he was managing Borussia Dortmund, working with players such as Gündoğan, Lewandowski, Sahin, Reus, Aubameyang and Hummels, and leading a side that reached the Champions League final. He would later do the same with Liverpool, losing twice to Real Madrid, having previously lifted the European Cup against Tottenham.
Klopp arrived at Liverpool in 2015 and remained on the bench until 2024, when he decided to step away from the daily demands of the dressing room. In recent weeks his name has resurfaced strongly once again, but, as has happened so many times before, the option has been put on hold. For now, it is Álvaro Arbeloa’s turn.