Real Madrid continue their hunt for a new coach

At Real Madrid, history repeats itself just after two seasons. Zinedine Zidane has departed from Los Blancos as the Santiago Bernabeau witnesses the Frenchman resign twice in such a brief span.…

By Vedant Kharakwal

May 30, 2021

2 min read

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At Real Madrid, history repeats itself just after two seasons. Zinedine Zidane has departed from Los Blancos as the Santiago Bernabeau witnesses the Frenchman resign twice in such a brief span. Adding to the complications, Mauricio Pochettino is tied to his current club, and a move to the Spanish capital seems uncertain.

Pochettino had recently signed a new deal with Tottenham when Zidane left the first time, which was in 2018, right after completing the historic three-peat. The Argentine signed the contract extension two weeks before Los Blancos won the UEFA Champions League final in Kyiv. The probability of Spurs selling their gaffer for less than 50 million euros was presumably unlikely. Resultantly, Real Madrid opted for Julen Lopetegui, the Spain national team coach at the time.

Pochettino is under a contract at PSG (via Scroll.in)

This time around, their choice would likely be Pochettino. However, to their misfortune, he is bound by a Paris Saint Germain contract and has been there for not more than 6 months.

Despite the fact that PSG ended up losing out on the Ligue 1 title to Lille, they have faith in the Argentine and wish for him to stay. The Argentine is one of their former players with a good working connection with the owners and a contract.

Pochettino, like in 2018, is staying out of it. Real Madrid, on the other hand, has the utmost respect for PSG and does not want a problem like the one that arose when they recruited Carlo Ancelotti in 2013. They don’t want to burn bridges with Kylian Mbappe, who is a long-term target.

Antonio Conte could be an option as he leaves Inter (via Sempreinter)

Amidst all of this, Antonio Conte is an emerging favorite, with Pochettino trapped in PSG complex. Although the Italian would be a hugely different manager compared to Pochettino, he does fall in the brackets of consideration since he is available after exiting Inter.

Raul, who is currently the Castilla coach, could also come off as a possible replacement for Zidane. However, it is a popular belief that it would be too early to recruit him for the role. Although there is still much to be resolved, it appears doubtful that Pochettino will be free and able to take over Real Madrid this summer.