Real Madrid: An interesting new name emerges in manager search
Real Madrid are on the prowl for their Zinedine Zidane replacement. With Max Allegri off the table and back at Juventus, the search has centered around three names. Castilla coach Raul is still an option, Mauricio Pochettino at PSG could make sense in the relatively unlikely scenario he becomes available, and recent Scudetto winner Antonio Conte is a strong option after leaving Inter.
There have been a couple of other coaches like Xabi Alonso and Joachim Low who have been linked to the Real Madrid job, but, thus far, those are the only three men with concrete links to Zidane’s old post.
However, there is now an intriguing new name on the Real Madrid radar. Like Conte, he won a title in his league, breaking up the dominance of one of Europe’s elite clubs.
According to a report from Edu Pidal, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has recently started contemplating former Lille manager Christophe Galtier.
Imagine if both Christophe Galtier and Luis Campos joined Real Madrid after leading Lille to the Ligue 1 crown
The 2020-2021 Ligue 1 champion recently stepped down from his position and has been getting feelers from other clubs, including Lyon, though they were rejected and have since settled on former Bayer Leverkusen (and Ajax) manager Peter Bosz.
Galtier has managed just two clubs in his career, both in Ligue 1. First, he was Saint-Etienne’s manager, successfully leading them before an incredible spell with Lille. And he reached a huge peak point by winning Ligue 1 this season, guiding a team with young talent and steady veterans to the dethroning of Paris.
Aside from his recent success at Lille and potential upside, there is one more layer to the Galtier story that makes him an interesting option for Real Madrid. Sporting director Luis Campos, who is regarded as one of the best in the business after building PSG-conquering sides at Monaco and Lille, could potentially join Los Blancos this summer.
Given the working relationship between Campos and Galtier, it would be very interesting to see the duo as a team in Madrid, leading a rebuild under Perez’s ever-watchful eye.
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Is Galtier a favorite for the position? Thus far, it doesn’t seem like anyone should make that sort of a leap. Conte and Pochettino appear to be the top two, with Raul standing as a very strong internal candidate. However, Galtier is a name to watch now that he’s been linked. His recent success should not be discounted, and the Campos connection is worth mulling over.