With Real Madrid faltering midway through the 2025/26 season, Florentino Perez seems poised to step in and act decisively.
Xabi Alonso, hired with much pomp and circumstance over this summer to replace Carlo Ancelotti, is suddenly under real pressure.
The Spaniard was considered one of Europe's brightest rising managerial stars, having led Bayer Leverkusen to a stunning Bundesliga title in unbeaten fashion while winning the DFB-Pokal and reaching the Europa League final.
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It seemed as though he would be up to the task at Real Madrid, having led the club to the Club World Cup semifinals only weeks into the job and establishing an early lead in both the La Liga title race and the Champions League league phase.
Yet a poor run of form through November and early December have apparently seen Madrid executives act, and now reports claim he must beat Manchester City on Wednesday to keep his job and prove he is the long-term solution.
AllSportsPeople brings you a look at who could step in and take over in the Spanish capital, hoping to rescue a team with a litany of injuries and a few dressing-room issues to sort out as well.
Next Real Madrid manager candidates
The following five individuals have been connected in some manner to the Real Madrid head coaching role and look likely candidates to replace Alonso.
We've ranked them in order of likelihood, and suitability.
MORE: Latest Real Madrid team news, injury updates, and predicted lineups for their next match
5. Jurgen Klopp (Red Bull head of soccer)
Sure, Real Madrid would love to convince Jurgen Klopp to make a sensational return to touchline management, but it's not happening.
Klopp has repeatedly said he's loving life as an executive in Red Bull's global football operations and has claimed he has no desire to return to club managerial duties now, and maybe ever.
There's always the chance that his public words are a smokescreen and he secretly harbors a desire to return, but repeated reports from The Athletic have claimed that Klopp's feelings are genuine and he's not looking to coach again anytime soon.
Regardless of what the bookies think, there is almost no chance of Klopp taking charge of Madrid, now or in the near future.
4. Fabian Hurzeler (Brighton Hove & Albion)
German Fabian Hurzeler has enjoyed a quick rise through the coaching ranks since he helped St. Pauli earn promotion to the Bundesliga at the end of the 2023/24 season.
At just 32 years old, Hurzeler is still extremely young, but his time in charge of Brighton has proven he can manage at the Premier League level. It's probably still too early for Hurzeler to make a leap like this to such a world-class club, as firing Alonso to bring on such an unproven coach would be widely criticized, but he's one to keep in mind for the future.
3. Andoni Iraola (Bournemouth)
Few coaches have risen to such heights faster than Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, who has become one of Europe's most coveted managers. The 43-year-old joined the Cherries in 2023 and has led them to new heights, establishing the club as a Premier League mainstay despite significant roster turnover that has included the departures of many top talents.
Iraola has gained a reputation as a tactically astute coach who has displayed both flexibility and ingenuity, leading his name to arise for open positions at many top European clubs.
While he would fit well at Real Madrid, this is probably a more likely move to make in the offseason than during the middle of a campaign. If Perez manages to convince Zinedine Zidane to sign on for the rest of the season, Iraola would absolutely be a candidate to join in the summer, but this move right now feels unlikely.
2. Alvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid Castilla)
While Real Madrid would prefer to woo Zidane back to the Bernabeu, he is not believed to be interested in the job long-term. Instead, it's widely thought that Alvaro Arbeloa will end up leading the senior side eventually.
A former player for Real Madrid from 2009 to 2016, Arbeloa has risen through the club's youth and reserve setup since being hired to manage the U-14 side in 2020. He has been head of Real Madrid Castilla, the club's top reserve team, since May of 2025 when Raul resigned after being passed over for the first-team job a number of times.
Arbeloa was a candidate for the position when Alonso was hired, highly regarded by Real Madrid hierarchy, and if the club can't convince Zidane to return, Arbeloa is the likely man for the job.
1. Zinedine Zidane (Unattached)
Madrid fans have long coveted Zidane's return to the touchline. Los Blancos long for the days when the French legend was coaching the team, leading them to three straight Champions League titles before stepping down.
It's no secret that Zidane is considered the heir-apparent to Didier Deschamps in charge of France, with the current boss set to step down after the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It's the position Zidane has desired for years, and all signs point towards him getting his wish.
There's almost no chance of Zidane committing to the Real Madrid job long-term given the prospect of taking over France. However, it's entirely possible that Zidane signs on to coach his old club for the rest of the 2025/26 season while he waits for the position with Les Bleus to open next July.
A lot of it will come down to the health of his relationship with Perez, as the two didn't exactly part ways on the best of terms to conclude their last working partnership.
Why is Xabi Alonso under pressure at Real Madrid?
A number of factors have led Real Madrid to determine that Alonso may not be the man for the job, but it also feels an exceedingly harsh decision given the narrative of their season as a whole.
Slip in standards — and results
First and foremost, results are at the heart of any such decision. After building a five-point lead at the top of the Spanish league table, Madrid have won just two of their past seven games.
A defeat to struggling Liverpool in Champions League play was far from damaging, but indicated structural issues are present in the squad. Far more destructive to their competitive prospects was a 2-0 defeat to Celta Vigo, which left them four points back of Barcelona in the league standings.
Yet a threat of the sack this early into Alonso's tenure, with the club's position still quite strong in multiple competitions, suggests more is going on behind the scenes to exacerbate the situation.
Dressing-room disharmony
There are a number of dressing-room concerns that have seemingly troubled club hierarchy. Chief amongst them is the disgruntled nature of Vinicius Jr, who has become frustrated at his decrease in playing time. Vini remains a first-choice starter under Alonso, but the new boss has elected to rotate him more than other managers in the past, culminating in an outburst on the pitch when the Brazilian was hauled off in the late October Clasico win over Barcelona.
There are also reports that the players have not fully taken to Alonso's rigid tactical demands, with many clearly preferring the player-friendly Ancelotti regime where tactics was more of a suggestion than a requirement.
Key injuries at the wrong time
Injuries have become a clear issue for Alonso through the last few weeks. Most affected is the defensive line, where a host of players have suffered both short-term and long-term problems. Trent Alexander-Arnold, brought on in the summer, has suffered numerous muscle injuries, while Eder Militao, Dean Huijsen, and Antonio Rudiger have all missed time to varying degrees.
Now, with Kylian Mbappe even succumbing to the injury bug, Alonso has struggled to have his most effective players in their most natural positions. Alvaro Carreras has been forced into occasional center-back duties, for example, while the intrepid Federico Valverde has been stuck at right-back instead of his more influential wide midfield role.
All these factors have combined to put Alonso in a compromised position, both of his own doing and the result of outside forces beyond his control.
At the end of the day, a rigid tactician and pragmatic control artist like Alonso may not have been the best fit for a club that appears most comfortable riding on vibes and glamor as much as football nuance.