Real Madrid are already planning for the future once their Champions League winning coach Carlo Ancelotti steps down from his duties. The Italian still has one-and-a-half-years remaining on his current deal, and has committed to see if off. However, there is a growing probability that he retires from the job after his current deal expires in the summer of 2024.
Hence, the Los Blancos, who always tend to be working on their future alongside the very present, have already drawn up a list of potential candidates to lead the side post Ancelotti-era. Although it would impossible to emulate what Ancelotti has done at Santiago Bernabeu, leading Real to a glorious Champions League triumph last season with the never ‘give-up’ mentality, the list still holds a number of exciting prospects who have heavily proved their mettle.
Thomas Tuchel, Joachim Low among potential candidates for Real Madrid job
Real Madrid have always prioritised a man who would continue to grow their European trophies’ cabinet, and sacked the one who hasn’t fulfilled the criteria immediately. Keeping that in mind, the first name on club president Florentino Perez’s list is 20/21 Champions League winner with Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel. Perez has been a long time admirer of the German, and his European pedigree just cements the interest.
And after leading the Blues to the set of Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup, Tuchel was sacked after a poor start to this season. He has since been without a club and is looking to get back into the fold. However, if Real Madrid really want him to lead his project, there’s a high chance that he waits until 2024. The second name on the Los Blancos’ list is Tuchel’s fellow countryman Joachim Low.
Low has never managed in the Champions League, but if not the European experience, the German still boasts a World Cup winners’ medal. The 62-year-old famously led Germany to World Cup triumph in 2014, where they dismantled teams like Brazil in the semifinals with a scoreline of 7-1 and Portugal in the group stage in a 4-0 rout. He also after led the Die Mannschaft to a Confederations Cup in 2017, but after a disappointing 2018 World Cup and EURO 2020, Low stepped down from the job and since hasn’t taken one.
Real Madrid have previously been linked with Low as well, but the German then refused to resign from the German National Team’s job to return to club fold. Low’s name is followed by former Tottenham and PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino, who too is currently unemployed. His latest stint was with the French champions, where he failed to win the Ligue 1 in the 20/21 season after being appointed halfway through the season.
However, the tipping point was the club’s failure to clinch European glory with the Argentine, despite being armoured with an attack of Messi-Neymar-Mbappe. That led to his axing at during the summer and appointment of Christoph Galtier. Pochettino was also tipped to the Man United job which ultimately went to Erin ten Hag, and the 50-year-old now finds himself on Real Madrid’s shortlist. But his evident obstacles to handle a dressing room filled with multiple stars can be a stumbling block.
Las but not the least, Real Madrid can repeat the Zidane trick by appointing former player Raul Gonzalez, who currently coaches the youth team. He has substantially done well with the young lads, and if the progress keeps going up, he could be rewarded with the first-team job in 2024. However, the next appointment depends all on Ancelotti who has also kept open the door for an extension at Santiago Bernabeu, which again would be welcomed by the club.