La Liga
POSSIBLE SUCCESSORS TO DEPARTING ZINEDINE ZIDANE AT REAL MADRID
Zinedine Zidane is edging towards the Real Madrid exit door with his contract due to expire leaving Florentino Perez on the lookout for a new head coach
Real Madrid look set to appoint a new man in the dugout this summer with Zinedine Zidane poised for the exit door.
Los Blancos boss has had to deal with speculation regarding his future for months with his contract winding down.
Zidane has told his players that he will be moving on at the end of the year meaning Florentino Perez will be seeking a new head coach.
The Spanish giants are not the force of old with several players moving on and others coming into the latter stages of their career.
The next man through the door will need to oversee something of a rebuild, which could excite but also put certain individuals off taking the job.
Here are five men who could be under consideration for the top job in Madrid.
Max Allegri
The Italian is currently among the favourites to takeover from Zidane, who could yet take up a role with Allegri’s former employers Juventus.
During the 53-year-old’s time in Turin he won Serie A five times and added the Coppa Italia on four occasions.
As a free agent he remains an attractive proposition with no compensation to be paid coupled with his proven track record.
Allegri’s somewhat pragmatic style may not be to Perez’s liking, but with Los Blancos in a transitional phase an adaptive manager may be just what they need.
The tactician has yet to taste Champions League success though, coming up short twice in the final, with Europe a major measuring point at Madrid.
Raul
The Madrid legend once held the record as the club’s all-time top goalscorer before one Cristiano Ronaldo arrived. He scored against Nigeria in Spain’s 2-3 loss at France ’98 World Cup.
But Raul’s long standing relationship with the club could stand him in good stead.
He spent almost two decades at the Bernabeu before leaving in 2010 but is now back coaching the club’s B team and youth ranks.
Perez has shown his willingness to promote from within having hired Zidane when he was B team coach and may again feel that a club legend who understands their traditions is the answer.
Joachim Low
He will leave his post as Germany’s head coach after 15 years in charge following this summer’s European Championships.
Low’s crowning achievement came in 2014 when he won the World Cup, although his stock has slightly fallen since that triumphant night.
Nevertheless he remains a high profile name, something Perez seems to value.
What may count against him though is his lack of recent work as a day-to-day manager with his last club job coming at Austrian Wien in 2004.
It remains unclear as to whether Low is looking to take some time away from the game before considering whether or not to return.
Antonio Conte
Another Italian manager who could be considered for the Madrid post. Conte has just won a league title with a third different club after his success with Inter Milan.
The 51-year-old has enjoyed triumphs with Juventus and Chelsea previously and has again underlined his quality.
Conte’s future at the San Siro is far from certain with Inter struggling financially amid reports some of their top players could leave.
That could lead to the departure of their coach, who is set for showdown talks, leaving him free to look elsewhere.
The Italian though is not shy in speaking his mind so a relationship with Perez would certainly be an interesting watch.
Carlo Ancelotti
He was axed as Los Blancos boss a year after winning the Champions League when he was shown the door in 2015.
But Ancelotti could again be in the frame for a return to the Bernabeu with Perez having nothing against re-hiring managers.
The Italian is currently trying to lead Everton into Europe but could no doubt be lured back to Madrid if things fell into place.
Ancelotti is still highly regarded by those in the Spanish capital would certainly be welcomed back.
Barcelona said their request for a permit to return to the Camp Nou for Sunday’s LaLiga match against Real Sociedad has been denied, with the city council highlighting safety and security issues with the revamped venue.
Barca had been hoping to return to a reduced-capacity Camp Nou with 27,000 spectators but have failed to obtain the necessary permits from Barcelona City Council.
Barca will instead host the match at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Montjuic, where they played during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons with renovations at Camp Nou now nine months behind schedule.
“We have spotted different elements that need to be fixed and have an impact in the safety and security of the stadium,” chief of civil protection Sebastia Massague said at a city council meeting.
Barca had to begin their LaLiga home campaign at the Estadi Johan Cruyff in their own training complex, where only 6,000 fans attended their match against Valencia on September 14, after a Post Malone concert left the Lluis Companys pitch in poor condition.
“The club is currently working on the new amendments that the council has shared today,” Barca said in a statement.
On Friday, the Catalan club also announced that their Champions League group stage match against Paris St Germain on October 1 would also take place at the Lluis Companys.
Barca are second in LaLiga, trailing leaders Real Madrid by five points but having played a game fewer.
-Reuters
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Villarreal midfielder Thomas Partey on Wednesday appeared in a London court and pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and sexual assault involving three women.
Partey, a Ghana international, is accused of five counts of rape relating to two women, plus a charge of sexual assault against a third woman, between April 2021 and June 2022.
The alleged offences took place when Partey played for Premier League soccer club Arsenal. He left the club this summer and signed for Spain’s Villarreal.
The 32-year-old appeared in the dock at Southwark Crown Court and spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth and enter his not guilty pleas.
Partey was released on bail ahead of his trial, which was listed for Nov. 2, 2026 and is due to take between six and eight weeks.
He was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59.2 million) in 2020 and became a key member of the English side’s first team, before his contract expired at the end of June.
Partey played for Villarreal in their Champions League game against Arsenal’s bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday night.
He came on as a second-half substitute and was booed loudly by the Spurs fans every time he touched the ball.
-Reuters
Villarreal and Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey, who has been charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, walks outside Southwark Crown Court, in London, Britain, September 17, 2025. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska
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Real Madrid on Tuesday denounced plans to stage a LaLiga match between Barcelona and Villarreal in Miami, warning the proposal could undermine football’s competitive balance and vowing to petition global governing bodies to block the move.
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) on Monday approved the December 20 fixture at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, which could become the first LaLiga match held abroad and the first European league fixture staged in the United States.
“Real Madrid wish to express to its members, supporters and football fans in general its firm rejection of the proposal,” the club said in a statement, revealing they have already urged FIFA, UEFA and Spain’s Higher Sports Council (CSD) to intervene.
The club accused the RFEF of making its decision “without informing or consulting the clubs participating in the competition” and argued that staging the match in Miami “violates the essential principle of territorial reciprocity” in home-and-away league formats.
Real further stated that the move would “alter the competitive balance” and grant “an unfair sporting advantage” to the clubs involved.
The club also warned that approving the proposal could compromise sporting integrity and “set an unacceptable precedent,” insisting any change of this nature should require “the express and unanimous agreement of all the clubs participating in the competition”.
The plan still requires approval from UEFA, US Soccer, CONCACAF and ultimately FIFA before LaLiga President Javier Tebas can realise his long-held ambition of taking Spanish football to the U.S.
-Reuters
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