Featured Image Credit: Sky Germany
Topics: Xabi Alonso, Jurgen Klopp, Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti, Champions League, Football, Football Manager
Luke Davies
Topics: Xabi Alonso, Jurgen Klopp, Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti, Champions League, Football, Football Manager
Xabi Alonso has issued an update about his future as Jurgen Klopp’s agent spoke out after reports linking him with the Real Madrid head coach role.
Alonso, 43, and Klopp, 57, are two of the names linked with potentially replacing Carlo Ancelotti as head coach of Real Madrid.
Los Blancos crashed out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage after a 2-1 (5-1 on aggregate) defeat against Arsenal on Wednesday, meaning Ancelotti, 65, is under scrutiny.
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On Thursday (August 17), Sky Sports reported that the Italian is “expected to leave the club” following the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona in Seville on April 26 – although this information has not been confirmed by Real Madrid.
Since then, several names have been mentioned; however, Klopp’s agent Marc Kosicke has seemingly ruled him out of the running.
Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg issued an update via X on Friday afternoon (April 18) and claimed Alonso was the favourite to take on the mantle at the Santiago Bernabeu.
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"[There are] new rumours linking Jürgen Klopp with Real Madrid and Brazil,” wrote Plettenberg.
“His top agent, Marc Kosicke, told us for Sky: 'Jürgen is very happy with his new role as Head of Global Soccer at Red Bull’.”
And shortly before the news broke, Alonso spoke at a press conference ahead of Bayer Leverkusen’s clash against St Pauli in the Bundesliga on Sunday.
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The Spaniard, who achieved a league and cup double in his first full season as a senior manager, was asked about his future.
"It's not a good time to discuss the future,” said Alonso, whose side sit six points behind league leaders Bayern Munich.
“We're at a very important moment in the season."
"I don't want to talk about speculation and rumours,” he added. “[I understand] that this is happening, but what's more important to me is what's happening right now."
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And this is not the first time he has been linked with a move away from the German champions as Real, Liverpool and Bayern – Alonso played for all three clubs – were supposedly interested in the summer of 2024, before the Premier League side appointed Arne Slot while Bayern opted for Vincent Kompany as Ancelotti remained at Real after winning La Liga and the Champions League.