Real Madrid are on the verge of having no trophies for a second straight season. They are dangerously behind Barcelona in La Liga and have just been bounced out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich, leaving Florentino Perez in a situation where he must choose to embark on a new cycle.
Interim manager Alvaro Arbeloa has actually done a great job with the very flawed cards he inherited in the middle of the season, and if a certain few stars were more mature in the clutch moments, perhaps we would not be having this uncomfortable conversation. But even Arbeloa himself knows the job and how things work under Flo in Madrid, and he readily admitted after the loss to Bayern Munich that he may not be the coach next season.
Real Madrid like to make a splash in the coaching department just as much as they like to sign the big names on the field, and while Florentino will be bitterly disappointed that things with his former star midfielder did not work out, he does have some high profile names on his radar - names who have been linked to Real Madrid before.
Jurgen Klopp is still on the radar
According to a new report from Mario Cortegana of The Athletic, there are two coaches the Real Madrid president is particularly appreciative of. The first is, of course, former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp. That said, Cortegana reports that Madrid have not yet contacted Klopp about the job. The second is Mauricio Pochettino of the United States men's national team, and he will reportedly be considered one of the stronger candidates for the gig.
Real Madrid fans won't feel overly impressed or disappointed with either option. Klopp is a legend who took Dortmund and Liverpool straight to the top, and in a counterattacking system, he could do even more with the talents and resources Madrid have than those two clubs. But if Real Madrid and Xabi Alonso could not work out, Real fans will wonder if Klopp will just fall victim to the same issues, though it is worth noting that he was always well liked by players, including the mercurial big names like Mohamed Salah and Robert Lewandowski.
Meanwhile, Pochettino struggled to click with the superstars of PSG. His work at Tottenham Hotspur was fantastic, but Poch does not have the same cachet as a Klopp with these superstars. He is worth looking into, but many Madridistas will feel that if Alvaro Arbeloa has to go, only a substantial dream upgrade may make sense here.
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