Many take it for granted that Xabi Alonso will be the next coach of Real Madrid if Carlo Ancelotti does not continue at the helm, but the Basque coach has not yet made a decision about his future.
Ancelotti’s future
Real Madrid has not yet made a decision about the future of Ancelotti on the bench for next season. Everyone assumes that the coach will continue if they win La Liga or the Champions League, and that he will leave if they fail to win either of these two titles. But the truth is that Florentino Pérez has not yet made a decision on the matter, not even if the team fails to achieve either of these objectives.
Florentino Pérez believes that the Italian coach knows the squad better than anyone else, and his past successes could be decisive in making a final decision. Ancelotti is the most successful coach in the history of the club, and from the highest levels of the club they could respect his contract, which ends in the summer of 2026, as a way of thanking him for his services and because they believe he is more than capable of winning titles again next season.
Doubts for Xabi Alonso
Xabi Alonso seems to be the best placed to occupy the Whites’ bench next season. At the club they believe that the man from Tolosa is the perfect alternative, and there are several reasons for this: he knows the house, he is as demanding with his work and with victory as the club itself, and he really likes the style of play, offensive, direct, but without renouncing quality, which must be a fundamental hallmark for him.
However, Xabi Alonso has many doubts about his future. So far, he has not communicated anything to Bayer Leverkusen, which many attribute to the fact that he is waiting to see how the Real Madrid season ends, and this could be the reason, which does not mean that he will say yes to Florentino Pérez. Xabi Alonso wants to be Real Madrid coach, it is his objective as the winner that he is, to be able to manage the biggest club in Europe. However, he could be considering the negative aspects that would come with landing at a club that has won everything in recent years and is coming off a bad season. He knows that without results to back it up from the start, he will become the target and the focus of criticism.
Beyond Zidane and Ancelotti, the coaches who have passed through Real Madrid in the last ten years have barely lasted on the bench, both Spanish coaches, Julen Lopetegui and Rafa Benítez. The third was Solari, who came on a temporary basis and also spent a few months as first team coach.
Few alternatives on the market
Florentino Pérez does not want to make hasty decisions with regard to the Whites’ next season. Beyond Carlo Ancelotti and Xabi Alonso, the alternatives for the Real Madrid bench seem few and far between, at least when it comes to convincing the board. That is why he does not want to dispense with Ancelotti’s services so easily. If they finally receive a no from Xabi Alonso, they are confident that the Italian coach is still the best person to be in charge of the team for another year. If they want to bet on the coach from Tolosa, they will first have to receive a yes from the coach, and then they will communicate the decision to Carlo Ancelotti. But it won’t be the other way around, as they risk being left without either of them for next season.