Xabi Alonso appears to be the ‘number one option’ lined up by Florentino Perez to replace Carlo Ancelotti at the helm of Real Madrid in 2024, Christian Falk reported in his exclusive column with CaughtOffside.
The Bayer Leverkusen manager may face some serious competition from ex-Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann, however, with the German understood to be also keen on the role.
“We believe Xabi Alonso is the number one option to replace Carlo Ancelotti in 2024 (at which point the Italian will become the next manager of Brazil),” the BILD journalist wrote.
“There were also ideas this summer but he’s very clear in this position. He told Leverkusen he won’t leave this summer because he knows that he’s still new and he won’t put the club in this situation.
“But in 2024, there would be no excuse if Real Madrid is asking for him. Of course, he’s interested and Leverkusen knows that there will be the possibility of Real Madrid coming in for him. I think at the moment he is one of the biggest solutions and has the best chance to get this job.”
The former Liverpool midfielder has enjoyed a promising start to life in top management, guiding Leverkusen to sixth in the Bundesliga table and the Europa League semi-finals.
This may come, perhaps, as a slight concern for decision-makers at Anfield faced with the near-impossible challenge of replacing Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool in 2026.
There’s always the possibility of another contract extension of course (the manager’s enthusiasm and energy levels depending), though the Reds will otherwise have to pray for an exciting young candidate to take the German tactician’s place should it not be on the cards.
Certainly, no one can predict what the managerial landscape will look like in three years’ time, though one might imagine a number of clubs will have some key decisions to make in that arena.