Raul Gonzalez and Thomas Tuchel are reportedly on Florentino Perez’s short list of contenders to succeed Carlo Ancelotti as manager of Real Madrid. Ancelotti’s future at the Santiago Bernabeu has been the subject of discussion after Los Blancos’ 1-0 loss to Barcelona in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals. Although the Los Blacos hierarchy fully backs the Italian, their poor run of form domestically has Perez concerned.
Real Madrid suffered their first loss at the Bernabeu in 11 months after Barcelona went away with a 1-0 lead in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals. A Blaugrana team missing Robert Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembele, and Pedri defeated Ancelotti’s team, which has further invited embarrassment. Also, it was Real Madrid’s second consecutive El Clasico defeat this season.
Tuchel frontrunner, Raul the dark-horse to lead Real Madrid into post-Ancelotti era
After being fired by Chelsea in September of last year as a result of their subpar start to the season, Tuchel has not held a managerial position. Yet, after his departure, the fortunes of the west London outfit have plummeted. Perez, meanwhile, is thought to be certain that the German can succeed Ancelotti. Tuchel boasts a world-class CV having coached the likes of Borussia Dortmund, PSG and Chelsea.
He has won a heap of trophies at all three clubs, and also possesses a Champions League winner’s medal with the Blues, an achievement enough to put him ahead of others to replace Ancelotti at Real Madrid. The Los Blancos are the reigning Champions League winners after they won their record 14th title last season. Perez would certainly want a man in charge at Bernabeu post Ancelotti who knows how to win the European competition.
Meanwhile, it was just last week that Raul declined an offer from Schalke 04 to lead their senior squad. Although he spent just two seasons with the Bundesliga side during his playing career, the former Spanish striker is revered as a club hero. Furthermore, the Real Madrid legend has been reportedly informed that he will shortly advance to a first team role of the club.
He has done well leading the Los Blancos Reserves. Castilla is currently third in the Primera Federacion after 25 games, winning 13 and losing three. He also led Madrid’s Juvenil A to the club’s first-ever and sole-ever appearance in the UEFA Youth League. The club sees him following the same trajectory as their former manager Zinedine Zidane, who first coached the Castilla, then joined Rafa Benitez’s staff and finally replaced him as the first-team manager in 2016.
However, Raul’s inexperience is the only thing preventing Perez from replacing Ancelotti with the Spaniard. As a result, Tuchel is seen as the frontrunner. The former Dortmund manager has reportedly rejected a number of offers since going out of job, including a return to PSG. It is being claimed that Tuchel is waiting on the Real Madrid job, which could be vacant this year or in 2024. But it is also being rumoured that the 49-year-old also won’t hesitate to join Real’s fierce rivals Barcelona if they come calling before the Los Blancos.