When Real Madrid called an unscheduled press conference yesterday, the rumours started to ripple through the football world. Was it for the announcement of a big player signing? Was it a follow up to Ronaldo’s hint after the Champions League Final that he may leave Real Madrid? The announcement was actually surrounding the future of the manager rather than any of the players.
Zidane had just led Real Madrid to their third consecutive Champions League trophy and yet he had decided to call time on his management career at Real Madrid. Whilst Real Madrid had fallen well behind Barcelona in the race to win La Liga this season, their third Champions League title in as many years is a huge achievement for any manager. Had Zidane lost the dressing room? The fact that both Bale and Ronaldo used their post match interviews to express a possible desire to leave perhaps suggests that all was not well at the club. Whether this was a case of player power or simply Zidane’s choice to step out of the limelight for a while, we will probably discover in the near future.
Source: sport.bt.com
When a manager leaves a club of Real Madrid’s stature, it has a knock-on effect around the football world. Within minutes of the announcement, the rumour mill went into overload with big names being linked to the job. The Premier League could lose one of their top managers, with Pochettino emerging as the favourite according to Sky Sports sources. Jurgen Klopp is another name that has been linked in these early stages and fans of both Tottenham and Liverpool will be hoping desperately that they keep hold of their manager.
Interestingly, Arsene Wenger has also been linked with the job, despite being deemed surplus to requirements at Arsenal. Chelsea’s Conte has had a pretty poor season by Chelsea’s usual standards, failing to qualify for next season’s Champions League and yet he is another manager being linked to the vacancy.
The bookies have got a long list of possible candidates, with Pochettino and Wenger leading the pack and Real Madrid legends Raul and Guti are also high up in the odds tables. When Zidane first took over the role as manager, plenty of people in the game doubted his ability, as he had no top-level management experience. This could be considered as proof that the less experienced managers with a long Real Madrid history have a good chance of landing the role.
If Real Madrid look to go with experience, then Wenger has this in abundance and Pochettino transformed both Southampton and Tottenham into much better teams. Real Madrid will want to make a statement with this appointment, they will want to show their star players that they should stay at the club and they will also want to send out a warning to rivals Barcelona. Wenger is respected across the football world but whether his methods are still relevant in today’s game remains to be seen. Arsenal fans certainly would have a few words to say about that.
The outcome of the decision has a huge impact – it could initiate a managerial merry-go round where other top teams need to fill a management vacancy. It could also be the start of some big movements in the transfer market, with Bale and Ronaldo’s futures probably the biggest involved. Bringing Pochettino in could see players like Delle Ali and Harry Kane possibly join their current manager. Perhaps Salah would make the move with Jurgen Klopp. Whichever way it goes, all eyes are on this situation right now.