It has been one week since Real Madrid announced the departure of Xabi Alonso as head coach, and in the two games since, the club has had mixed results. On the one hand, new caretaker manager Alvaro Arbeloa won his first game with this weekend's 2-0 win over Levante. But on the other hand, Los Blancos were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by second division side Albacete days before.
While the club are off to a somewhat rocky start since moving on from Alonso, the Spaniard himself could ultimately get the last laugh. Despite a few rough months during his time at the Estadio Bernabeu, Alonso's stock as a top manager in the game hasn't fallen one bit, with some thinking he will be back with a new club sooner rather than later.
A manager of the caliber of Alonso will continue to have a number of top clubs interested in him, with teams like Liverpool, Manchester City and Bayern Munich reportedly keeping tabs on the manager for the future. However, there is one club that just sacked their manager and is looking to quickly bring in Xabi Alonso, which could mean a return to the Bundesliga.
Xabi Alonso could return to Germany
Football Espana reports that Xabi Alonso could be set to return to the Bundesliga, with Eintracht Frankfurt eyeing the former Real Madrid midfielder following the dismissal of their head coach, Dino Toppmoller. The German side has a number of names under consideration, with Alonso said to be right at the top of the list.
The report states that the Frankfurt Sporting Director is said to be a huge fan of the manager and views him as the ideal candidate to come in given his prior Bundesliga experience and incredible success. Frankfurt are hoping Alonso would be open to taking the job with immediate effect, and are hoping to hold talks with the 44-year-old in the near future.
Frankfurt currently sit 7th in the Bundesliga, having recently drawn 3-3 with Werder Bremen. Frankfurt are not in as bad a situation as Bayer Leverkusen were a few years ago when Alonso came in mid-season and saved their campaign, but they are definitely far from their best and could turn to the Spaniard to work his magic for them, much like he did for Leverkusen a few short years ago.
From Frankfurt's point of view, a move for Alonso could be quite ambitious, given the uncertainty at Liverpool over Arne Slot's future. But given his past in the Bundesliga, seeing him return may not be the biggest surprise to some.