Jurgen Klopp is a candidate to become Real Madrid’s head coach should they decide to appoint a new manager in the summer.
Alvaro Arbeloa is now in charge of the La Liga team after Xabi Alonso resigned as manager on Monday after less than eight months in charge.
Klopp currently works as Red Bull’s head of global football, but despite his long-term contract, Real Madrid have a huge attraction for the former Liverpool manager.
Sky Germany reported that if the Spanish club made a serious move, Klopp would seriously consider it.
Sky Germany revealed on December 11 that Klopp is the candidate to become Real Madrid’s manager if Alonso is sacked.
Klopp left Liverpool in 2024, saying he had “drained energy” after winning six titles with the club, including the Premier League and Champions League. He joined Red Bull in January last year.
Speaking to Germany’s ServusTV last night after the news broke that Alonso had left Real, Klopp said: “Actually my phone rang, but it wasn’t from Madrid.
“But there were some people who felt the need to talk to me about this.”
Real announced Alonso’s departure the day after they lost to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia.
After the match, footage posted on social media showed star forward Kylian Mbappé ignoring Alonso and trying to congratulate Barcelona players by leading them on.
Mbappe gestured for his teammates to leave the pitch with him, but posted a farewell message to his former manager after his departure.
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Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has revealed why he is baffled by Xabi Alonso’s departure from the club and why he believes the team’s midfield is the main problem.
Alonso’s tenure was marred by internal discord, with reports of clashes with senior players including co-captain Federico Valverde and winger Vinicius Junior.
Alonso leaves Real in second place in the La Liga table, four points behind leaders Barcelona at the mid-season stage.
The Spanish giants are also seventh in the Champions League, having won four of their six games and losing the other two.
“This phase of my career has come to an end, but not in the way I had hoped. It is an honor and a responsibility to coach Real Madrid,” Alonso said on Instagram on Tuesday.
“I would like to thank the club, the players and above all the fans. I leave here with respect, gratitude and pride for having given my best.”
Alonso was hired by Real in the summer to replace Carlo Ancelotti after leading Bayer Leverkusen to an unexpected German league and cup double in 2024.
There were rumors of a move to Liverpool when manager Klopp announced he was leaving Anfield that year, but he chose to remain at Leverkusen for one more season before moving to Madrid.
Xabi Alonso steps down as Real Madrid head coach on Monday
Klopp: “Sorry for Xavi, he’s a great manager”
Despite being linked to this role, manager Klopp was quick to state how sorry he was for Alonso after he left the club.
“The fact that Xabi Alonso has to leave Real Madrid after only six months, after showing his outstanding leadership ability over two years at Leverkusen, shows that, generally speaking, not everything is 100 percent correct,” Klopp told Germany’s Servas TV.
“When you come in after an incredibly successful manager like Carlo Ancelotti, who was a legend and had a very particular way of managing the team, and you try to introduce new rules, it’s now proving too difficult.
“I’m really disappointed because I think he’s a great coach. It had nothing to do with me and there was no trigger in my mind.
“The coaching market is being restructured and there’s nothing wrong with going through all this from an observer’s perspective and not thinking about what it means for you, because you’re in the right place right now.”
