Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso alleviated some of the pressure on himself with a win against Alaves on Sunday night, but all of the reporting from the Spanish capital suggests that his job is still very much on the line.
The latest is that Alonso must not only secure wins against Talavera de la Reina in the Copa del Rey and Sevilla in La Liga before the end of the year, but show some notable improvement in performance. It is hard to imagine that Los Blancos’ results in the Spanish Supercup in January will not impact the hierarchy’s view of him too.
Real Madrid take decision on Alonso replacement
Arbeloa will take over at Castilla
Image via Imago
According to El Chiringuito, Real Madrid have a plan in place now if Alonso is sacked. Although there has been uncertainty over who might take over should he lose his job, they say that the substitute would be an internal solution – previously Castilla manager Alvaro Arbeloa had been suggested as the most likely option.
The other alternative would be Sporting Director Santiago Solari, who has previously taken the reins in 2018, albeit it was a short stint that did not go well. It seems that Arbeloa, who is highly regarded, would be more probable.
😳 "Tiene que haber UN CAMBIO BRUTAL para que XABI SIGA".
🚨 "El REAL MADRID tiene CLARO el SUSTITUTO… y ESTÁ EN LA CASA".
ℹ️ INFORMACIÓN de @jpedrerol sobre el futuro del técnico donostiarra. pic.twitter.com/lWzySpkHcC
— El Chiringuito TV (@elchiringuitotv) December 15, 2025
Zinedine Zidane and Jurgen Klopp ruled out
This would appear to rule out the relatively small group of alternatives that had been suggested – this might have been beyond Real Madrid’s control. Zinedine Zidane initially emerged as one of the more obvious candidates for a third spell, but he appears to be awaiting an opportunity with the France national team.
Meanwhile Red Bull, where the retired Jurgen Klopp is Head of Global Soccer is, have made it clear that they have received no indication of his situation changing. Klopp was cited as an option before Alonso took over, but was also dismissed out of hand.
It would also appear to rule out any chance of former Castilla manager Raul Gonzalez taking over. He left in the summer after six seasons, having been widely believed to be waiting for an opportunity in the first team.