Klopp out, Alonso in? Real Madrid’s Ancelotti replacement takes a new turn; here’s why
Synopsis
Real Madrid will take on Celta Vigo in their next La Liga fixture, going into the match with a 7-point gap with their arch rivals FC Barcelona.
Former Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp has been ruled out of contention for the coaching position at Real Madrid after Carlo Ancelotti’s exit, according to several reports. German football team Bayer Leverkusen’s coach Xabi Alonso is pipped to succeed Ancelotti, even as Klopp has been highly rated by a section of the Los Blancos.
MARCA reported that Ancelotti will join the Brazil national team, and Alonso will join Real Madrid in the last week of May. Earlier, the Spanish newspaper had reported that Real Madrid called Klopp twice enquiring about his intentions.
Football transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano said that Ancelotti had verbally agreed to join as coach of the Brazil national team. However, the complicated exit process from Real Madrid has made the Brazilian Federation wait a little longer. “The agreement between Ancelotti and Brazil is done. It is absolutely okay. But to be signed, he needs the green light from Real Madrid. The relationship between Ancelotti and Real Madrid, and president Florentino Perez remains excellent,” Romano said.
'Klopp happy at Red Bull'
While rumours of former Real Madrid star Xabi Alonso returning to the club gained traction, speculations of Klopp not being happy as Red Bull's Head of Global Soccer surfaced. Klopp had started his career with German club Mainz 05 in 2001, going on to find success at Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool. Klopp’s agent spoke to Sky Sports dismissing these rumours. “Jurgen is very happy with his new role as head of global soccer at Red Bull,” agent Mark Kosicke said.
Fabrizio Romano, however, clarified that Real Madrid still believe Xabi Alonso remains their only target for the head coach position. “We have had this rumour [Klopp joining Real Madrid] for a long time. There are some people at Real Madrid who have a high opinion of Klopp. But at the moment, I am not aware of anything advanced– also because the agent of Klopp has already gone public and clarified how happy he is at Red Bull,” he added.
Romano also said that Klopp is actively looking for a manager for RB Leipzig, which shows how he is invested in the project. “I'm told that Klopp had direct contact with [Como1907 manager] Cesc Fabregas a few weeks ago,” he added.
The Spanish giants will take on Celta Vigo in their La Liga fixture, going into the match with a 7-point gap with their rivals FC Barcelona. Ahead of the match, Ancelotti said that the only way for Real Madrid to salvage the season was to win the league. If Real Madrid loses against Celta Vigo, FC Barcelona could be crowned champions at the El Clasico on May 11.