Carlo Ancelotti had a very successful first season back at Real Madrid, winning the La Liga and Champions League double. However, the next campaign was lacklustre. The team played very inconsistently in the league and were knocked out of the Champions League in disappointing fashion to Manchester City in the semi-finals. Although they succeeded in winning the Copa del Rey.
So far Ancelotti has guided Los Blancos to a great start this season. The team has four wins from four and sit atop the La Liga table.
However, this could well be Ancelotti’s last season in charge at Real Madrid. Rumours suggest that the Italian legend is set to take the Brazil national team job in the summer of 2024.
If that is the case, Real Madrid will have to find a new manager after the conclusion of the 23/24 season. There have been many top-class managers linked with the club as Ancelotti’s potential successor. However, it seems that Los Blancos have their eyes set on one man in particular.
Favourite to become next Real Madrid manager named
As reported by journalist Rodrigo Faez (via Madrid Universal), Xabi Alonso is the favourite option to take over from Ancelotti as Real Madrid manager next summer.
Rumours linking Alonso with the Real Madrid job are nothing new and have been going on for months. The Spaniard has worked wonders since taking over at Bayer Leverkusen in October 2022, helping them finish 6th in the Bundesliga and guiding them to the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League last season. When he joined, they were looking like relegation contenders.
Alonso has Bayer Leverkusen off to a superb start this season, as they sit top of the Bundesliga after the first three games. They have scored 11 goals and conceded just 3 till now.
Alonso signed a new contract with Bayer Leverkusen recently and it runs until the summer of 2026. However, if Real Madrid really want him, that would not be an obstacle impossible to overcome.