Real Madrid line up Ancelotti successor

Tom Weber

• Updated: 9 Jul 2023 20:31 BST
• 3 min read

Real Madrid want Xabi Alonso to replace Carlo Ancelotti in 2024, according to German media.

The saga is finally over. The Brazilian football association announced earlier in the week that Carlo Ancelotti is set to become the Selecao's head coach in 2024 when his Real Madrid contract expires.

The announcement brought an end to speculation that had been going on for months. In fact, the Brazilians already wanted to get the Italian in this summer, but his Real Madrid deal remained in force despite suggestions that he might get sacked after a poor season by Los Blancos' lofty standards.

But, despite missing out on LaLiga and the Champions League, Ancelotti kept his job, so Brazil will have to wait until next summer for the 64-year-old to finally take the reins. In the meantime, Fluminense boss Fernando Diniz will take charge of the senior men's national team.

As for Real, they reportedly already have a successor in mind.

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Los Blancos wants Alonso

According to BILD, Real Madrid are eyeing club legend Xabi Alonso as the man to replace Ancelotti. The former Spanish national team star, who also enjoyed highly successful stints at Liverpool and Bayern Munich, is currently in charge of Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen.

Alonso began his coaching career in the youth set-up at boyhood club Real Sociedad in 2019 before taking charge of the German side last year following the sacking of Gerardo Seoane.

Mired in a relegation battle when he took over, Alsono eventually guided Leverkusen to a sixth-placed finish. Impressive as that may seem, the jury is still out on the Spaniard as Leverkusen are generally one of the Bundesliga's biggest spenders and are expected to finish in the upper echelons of the table.

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The next season will be a crucial one and the one that shows whether or not Alonso is truly as good a coach as Leverkusen's surge up the table suggests.

With a full pre-season under his belt and a real say in his club's transfer business, the Spaniard is looking to move Bayer away from their counter-attacking to a more possession-based style. Whether this will be successful remains to be seen, but Alonso is one to keep an eye on, especially if BILD's reporting turns out to be correct.