In Madrid, the Champions League exit at the hands of Arsenal still weighs heavily, leading to discussions about a `post-Ancelotti` era. Despite having a year left on his contract, the Italian coach is expected to leave. Therefore, Real Madrid is considering a replacement to be appointed quickly, immediately after La Liga ends on May 25th. The name strongly circulating in Spain is Xabi Alonso.
The Bayer Leverkusen coach is reportedly President Florentino Perez`s preferred choice to lead Real Madrid at the Club World Cup scheduled in the USA from mid-June. Alonso is currently under contract with Bayer, although a clause allows him to leave the German club, for a penalty, if Real Madrid or Liverpool request him.
It is uncertain whether Xabi Alonso would be ready to take on such a demanding tournament, especially without having trained the players for more than a few days. To avoid rushing Alonso, Real Madrid is also considering two interim internal solutions: former stars Solari and Raul. In the background is the Ancelotti situation, whose option of not terminating his contract (which has another year) would mean staying on temporarily for the American tournament. The Italian coach is still being courted by the Brazilian federation to lead their national team.