When Xabi Alonso was announced as Real Madrid's new manager in the spring of 2025, following Carlo Ancelotti's departure, many expected a new era to be ushered in at Los Blancos. The vision was for the club's iconic former midfielder to be the man at the helm for years and years of success.
And in the early days, it seemed that's exactly what was in store for Real. Alonso's men won 14 of their first 15 matches, sitting seven points clear at the top of La Liga and second in the Champions League table. However, the wheels quickly fell off, and we all know when and why and ultimately his time at the club didn't last much longer.
Alonso was sacked on January 12th, bringing his time in charge to an end after just seven months. Since his sacking, many have wondered about his future. He is still no doubt a top class manager and will have a number of potential suitors where he can show what he is capable of when he's fully backed by the club.
One team in particular recently made an offer to the Spaniard to return to managing just one month after his sacking, but he turned down the offer, in a move that some would understand.
Xabi Alonso rejects immediate coaching return
As reported by Fabrice Hawkins (via The Madrid Zone on X), Marseille contacted Alonso to be their new head coach, but he was not interested and turned down the offer. Roberto de Zerbi stepped down on February 4th following internal clashes at the club, with the Ligue 1 club, for lack of a better term, being somewhat of a dumpster fire at the moment.
Marseille's director of football, Medhi Benatia, submitted his resignation after De Zerbi's departure, but the club rejected it. It's safe to say no one would blame the Spaniard for turning down the offer, given the chaos at the French club and the prospect of becoming the next manager at Liverpool or Manchester City still in the cards.
Marseille currently sits fourth in Ligue 1 and were eliminated from the Champions League following a 3-0 loss to Club Brugge in the final league phase match. The French side has been in poor form in recent weeks, losing 5-0 to PSG and taking 2-2 draws against Paris FC and Strasbourg.
Even after the miracles Alonso achieved at Bayer Leverkusen, turning the ship around in his first season, the story would be completely different at Marseille. Too much drama and disorder off the pitch would be a recipe for disaster and not what the manager would be looking for after his disappointing stint at the Bernabeu.