Image Credits: Imago Images
Xabi Alonso left his role as Real Madrid head coach after less than eight months in charge last week, with former Liverpool team-mate Alvaro Arbeloa appointed as his successor.
While a club statement confirmed the change, reports in Spain suggested Madrid’s hierarchy had lost faith in the 44-year-old, citing concerns over his relationship with the dressing room.
Alonso, who spent five years at Real Madrid as a player, arrived last summer after winning the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen in 2024, replacing Carlo Ancelotti.
He won 24 of his 34 matches in charge, but pressure mounted following a home defeat to Celta Vigo last month, after which the team were booed off and an emergency board meeting was held.
Heavy losses, including a 5-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid and Champions League defeats to Liverpool and Manchester City, further damaged his position.
Xabi Alonso described his spell as Real Madrid manager as a failure but set aside reported dressing-room tensions to thank his players in his first public statement since leaving the club.
“This professional stage is over, and it didn’t go as we would have liked,” he wrote on Instagram. “Coaching Real Madrid has been an honor and a responsibility.
“I thank the club, the players and above all the fans and Madrid fans for their trust and support. I leave with respect, gratitude, and pride that I did my best.”
Xabi Alonso has been linked with Tottenham Hotspur amid uncertainty over Thomas Frank’s future in north London. Spurs are winless in their last five matches in all competitions, losing three and drawing two, increasing the pressure on the Dane to turn results around.
According to The Times’ Tom Allnutt, Alonso is “keen on a move to the Premier League.” He wrote: “Xabi Alonso is keen on a move to the Premier League but the recently sacked Real Madrid head coach is understood to want a rest and will consider any offers from June.”
Speaking in December while managing Real Madrid, Alonso admitted that a return to the Premier League and to Liverpool in particular would “for sure” be an option for him in the future.
“There’s this bond with the English clubs, for sure with my former club, but at the moment this is my place. This is where I want to be,” he told reporters. “In the future, you never know what could happen.”
Alonso racked up 210 appearances for Liverpool between 2004 and 2009, winning the Champions League and FA Cup under Rafa Benítez, before joining Real Madrid.
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