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.
Sunday’s LaLiga derby between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid was temporarily suspended in the 69th minute due to fans hurling objects onto the pitch after defender Eder Militao scored the opener for the visitors.
While Real players celebrated the goal in the 64th minute, Atletico ultras Fondo Sur, who are located in the south lower stands, threw objects towards visiting keeper Thibaut Courtois, who alerted the referee and he decided to halt the match.
Atletico captain Koke and defender Jose Maria Gimenez went to the south stand to calm the fans down but the referee ordered the players to go to the dressing rooms as the announcer warned that if the behaviour continued the game would be abandoned.
After a delay of over 20 minutes the players returned to the pitch and the game resumed.
-Reuters
Mounir Nasraoui, the father of Barcelona and Spain star winger Lamine Yamal, was stabbed late on Wednesday at a parking lot in the northeastern Spanish town of Mataro, La Vanguardia newspaper reported, citing official sources familiar with the matter.
Reuters was not able to independently confirm the report. The regional Mossos d’Esquadra police force and a spokesperson for the Mataro local government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
According to La Vanguardia report, Nasraoui was taken to the Can Ruti hospital in the nearby city of Badalona and his diagnosis was “serious”. It added that local and regional police had located several witnesses of the incident.
However, a later report by sports website Relevo, also citing official sources, said Nasraoui had been released from hospital and was back at his home.
Yamal, a soccer wonderkid who grew up in coastal Mataro – a working-class, multi-ethnic suburb of Barcelona – became the breakout star of the recent Euro 2024 held in Germany.
Spain won the tournament, helped in part by the 17-year-old scoring against France in the semifinal on July 9.
-Reuters
Real Madrid and Brazil forward Vinicius Jr is open to an offer of more than one billion euros from Saudi Arabia, sources close to the player told Reuters on Monday.
Vinicius, 24, was approached by Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) officials to inquire about his interest of moving to the Saudi Pro League (SPL) on a five-year contract worth around 200 million euros per season fixed, plus bonuses.
The package would also include a separate 10-year contract to become an ambassador for the 2034 World Cup, which is set to be held in the country, but those terms and financial numbers are yet to be discussed.
Although an official, formal offer has yet to be presented, Vinicius has not dismissed the move and gave permission to PIF to approach Real Madrid.
Despite being “happy and motivated” in the Spanish capital, Vinicius and his representatives believe that a lucrative offer like this needs to be studied carefully.
Another source close to the player said that Real have shown no interest in negotiating a transfer, highlighting the player’s one billion euro buy-out clause.
Real Madrid and PIF did not respond to requests for comment.
Obsessed to be taken seriously as a soccer force, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced a Sports Clubs Investment and Privatisation Project, with PIF taking ownership of 75% of the capital of the country’s four main clubs: Al Ahli, Al Ittihad, Al Hilal and Al Nassr.
The biggest Saudi transfer came from the country’s most successful club, Al Hilal, who spent 90 million euros to buy forward Neymar from Paris St Germain.
With Karim Benzema at Al Ittihad and Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr, PIF tried to persuade France captain Kylian Mbappe to be the big name Al Ahli is still missing last year.
The forward, however, turned down Saudi’s lucrative offer and joined Real Madrid in June.
The proposal for Vinicius is understood to be similar to the Mbappe offer. The Brazilian would join Al Ahli, linking up with former Premier League players Riyad Mahrez and Roberto Firmino.
Vinicius, who is under contract until 2027 after signing an extension in 2022, is a contender to win the Ballon d’Or award for the best player in the world after helping Real to a Champions League and LaLiga double last season.
-Reuters
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