Amid growing speculation over Xabi Alonso’s future, former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has dismissed rumors linking him with the Real Madrid top job. Alonso, himself a former Liverpool player, took charge at the Bernabéu this summer after leading Bayer Leverkusen to an unbeaten Bundesliga title and double DFB Pokal in his second season.
Alonso had been touted as a potential successor to Klopp at Anfield, but Real Madrid suddenly appointed the former Spain international to replace Carlo Ancelotti as manager. Despite being hailed as one of Europe’s most promising young managers, Alonso’s tenure at Madrid has so far been fraught with difficulties.
Real Madrid are currently four points behind Barcelona in the La Liga title race, but lost to Manchester City in the Champions League this week.
They sit seventh in the league stage of the tournament and are on track to secure a top-eight finish.
However, with just two wins in their last eight games, the pressure on Alonso is increasing.
Klopp, who is currently Red Bull Group’s head of global football, has been mentioned as a candidate for the Madrid post. The German coach has been in his current role since the beginning of this year, having decided to step back from the daily grind.
Nevertheless, this did not deter speculation about a possible return to the touchline.
Sky Sports Germany has reported that Klopp, former Liverpool defender Alvaro Arbeloa and Zinedine Zidane are among the candidates to replace Alonso.
However, Spanish publication SPORT carried a new update on the Bernabéu’s financial situation, quoting Red Bull’s global football director Oliver Mintzlaff as saying that appeared to rule Klopp out of contention.
“He has made it clear that he does not want to be a manager at the moment,” Mintzlaff revealed at an event organized by Leipzig Volkszeitung.
Additionally, SPORT reports that Zidane has also been excluded due to his future involvement with the French national team.
This development suggests that Arbeloa has emerged as the front-runner to replace Alonso if Real Madrid choose to make a change at the managerial position.
