Xabi Alonso has been given his marching orders at Real Madrid with the club and the players never fully investing in his methods - leading them to dismissing his transfer requests
Xabi Alonso has lost his job at Real Madrid
Xabi Alonso has lost his job at Real Madrid(Image: Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)
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Xabi Alonso's challenging tenure at Real Madrid has ended after just seven months with the Spanish giants opting for a change in the dugout - and from day one he never had the total confidence of Florentino Perez.
The Los Blancos president has never been shy of a big call and he had Alonso recommended to him when he sought a successor for Carlo Ancelotti. The two men could not be more different - one a manager, the other a coach and the Real players didn't ever truly take to his methods.
No Galacticos arrived in the summer, Trent Alexander-Arnold's signing on a free was perhaps the most headline-worthy deal, but Alonso saw one of his direct transfer requests knocked back by the hierarchy.
He was keen to go after Martin Zubinendi, the Spain ace who now finds himself at Arsenal. The midfielder had come through the ranks at Real Sociedad, like Alonso himself, and was always set to move on in the summer.
However BBC Sport reports that Real failed to act on Alonso's request and that allowed Arsenal to pounce. The 44-year-old wanted a midfielder but, not only did he miss out on his key target in Zubimendi, he failed to land anyone in that position.
The Gunners star had made his admiration for Alonso known in the past - had a call come in the 26-year-old may well have pushed to play under a man he declared as his "idol".
He previously said on Alonso: "I've always said that he was my idol and that for me it was a stroke of luck that he was able to coach me in the reserve team in a very important year. [But] I don't like to talk about those hypotheses, I like to talk about the present."
Zubimendi has scored three times in 27 outings for Arsenal, helping them establish themselves as the top of the Premier League and in the Champions League.
Martin Zubimendi has been an instant hit at Arsenal
Martin Zubimendi has been an instant hit at Arsenal(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
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The Spanish Super Cup final loss to Barcelona proved to be the final straw for the Alonso, who arrived at the Bernabeu with a blossoming reputation having led Bayer Leverkusen to the Bundesliga title - stunning Bayern Munich in the process. He leaves with Real firmly in the hunt, but four points behind their bitter rivals.
There has long been talk of Alonso eventually heading to the Premier League. He had been tipped to replace Jurgen Klopp at Anfield before the club opted for Arne Slot. Manchester United are in the process of appointing an interim boss in Michael Carrick, while Thomas Frank remains under intense pressure at Tottenham.
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