Next Real Madrid Manager Odds: Who Succeeds Xabi Alonso?

Xabi Alonso's Departs Real Madrid: Odds On The Next Manager

After only 7 months in charge of 'Los Blancos' former Madrid hero Xabi Alonso has had to vacate the prestigious title of Real Madrid manager following the side's defeat in the Super Cup final to eternal rivals Barcelona.

Many have questioned the decision since it was announced just yesterday and have said that in it's current state Madrid is 'un-coachable' due to so many ego's and lack of desire to work as a team.

Whether this is truly the case is yet to be seen however following weeks of speculation and reports of the Spaniard being on thin ice as head coach, defeat over the weekend was the straw that broke the camels back.

The focus now turns to who's next in line to take charge in the Spanish capital. Some surprising names have been mentioned as bookie's favourites for the role but who are they and would they be a good fit?

Currently Alvaro Arbeloa is in the hotseat acting as interim coach and if he impresses there is a potential in him securing the position on a long term deal, however here we're just going to analyse the outside potential appointments.

1) Enzo Maresca - Odds at Time of Writing: 1/1 or 2.00

One of Pep Guardiola's many managerial disciples, Italian Enzo Maresca is currently the odds on favourite to become the next boss of Real Madrid.

Currently the former Chelsea boss is out of work following internal disputes at the West London side resulting in him walking away from the side on the 2nd of January 2026.

The decision to leave had nothing to do with his results at the club though as Maresca showed highly promising signs of steering Chelsea back towards title contention.

With the current state of Madrid questions would have to be asked of how well he could deal with their off-pitch issues but he has displayed a clear understanding of getting results, so it's doubtful that results and managerial competence would stand in the way of his appointment.

The odds currently favour him being the next appointment but time will tell whether he joins as yet another Italian manager at the helm of 'Los Blancos'.

🚨 JUST IN: Enzo Maresca is highly appreciated internally at Real Madrid. @Santi_J_FM pic.twitter.com/meMvqoyF6v

— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) January 12, 2026

2) Zinedine Zidane - Odds at Time of Writing: 3/1 or 4.00

How better to replace a legend of the club as manager than by bringing in arguably the greatest player to have ever worn the famous white of Real Madrid, Zinedine Zidane.

It wouldn't be the first time that Zidane takes on the hotseat at Madrid as he had a highly illustrious run as head coach back in 2016-2018 and a second spell in charge from 2019-2021.

In his first run as head coach he managed an almost impossible footballing task by delivering a three-peat of Champions League's and delivered the LaLiga title once during this spell.

The second time around was slightly less successful for the former Balon D'or winner only delivering one title and one Super Cup, because of his inability to deliver a trophy during the 2020/21 season Zidane yet again left his post as Madrid manager.

However maybe he'll return for a third time in charge and following his phenomenal record as boss previously it would likely be a highly astute appointment, I mean he's hardly had a bad showing so far.

Real Madrid appointed Zinedine Zidane as manager five years ago today. He's done a pretty decent job to be fair... pic.twitter.com/HUVjmXrJr8

— Phil Kitromilides (@PhilKitro) January 4, 2021

3) Jurgen Klopp - Odds at Time of Writing: 4/1 or 5.00

Now here's where things get a little more surprising on the list and he's strangely the third most likely appointment according to the bookies.

Could Jurgen Klopp have a sensational return from managerial retirement and take the post of a time he developed somewhat of a European rivalry with during his time as Liverpool manager?

Journalists and betting sites are pointing towards the answer to this question being a possible yes and looking back at his time as a manager it's highly understandable why Real Madrid would target Klopp as head coach.

Klopp made the shock announcement to leave Liverpool during the 2023/24 season stating simply that he was 'running out of energy', he maintained his love for the club, the fans and the city of Liverpool itself but needed some time away from the side-lines.

Since then he has been working as 'The Global Head Of Soccer' for Red Bull and has quite a few clubs that he oversees including RB Leipzig and RB Salzburg and funnily enough the role also means he has a tie to Leeds United following the clubs partnership with the Red Bull brand.

Klopp's time as manager was nothing short of fantastic and he earned a top tier reputation, some highlights included winning Liverpool their first ever Premier League trophy, making them frequent Champions League favourites and winning a Champions League title in the 19/20 season.

He has stated in interviews previously that he doesn't yet miss coaching and is enjoying his role at Red Bull but perhaps the chance to manage Real Madrid will change his stance.

"Jurgen Klopp would seriously consider joining Real Madrid" 🚨

Florian Plettenberg with the latest on the fallout from Real Madrid sacking Xabi Alonso, where Jurgen Klopp still remains a candidate for Real Madrid and the former Liverpool manager is interested by the job ⚪️ pic.twitter.com/rFmgcjIoqd

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) January 13, 2026

4) Luis Enrique - Odds at Time of Writing: 12/1 or 13.00

Now for one of the more controversial potential appointments on the list, in comes the bookie's joint 4th favourite for the job is current PSG boss and former Barcelona head coach, Luis Enrique.

Potentially snagging Enrique would be an almost perfect way to get back at Barcelona following the defeat last weekend however the likelihood of this one just feels too low for a few reasons.

Number one Enrique would be highly unlikely to sever his relationship with Barcelona not is it likely that he would want to, he goes down as one of the Barcelona greats for his time in charge of the club and what he achieved with 'La Blaugrana'.

Number two, this ties into the first point but despite the fact Enrique is actually Madrid alumni, he is more associated with Barcelona nowadays. By itself this isn't a dealbreaker but after leaving Real for Barca there would have to be questions as to whether fans would accept his return to the club following his betrayal during his playing days.

Number three, this is perhaps the main reason but there is currently no reason for him to abandon his project in the French capital with PSG, he has just delivered the side their maiden Champions League trophy and in doing so helped propel Ousmane Dembele to a Balon D'or.

With how precarious the Madrid job has historically been, there's no obvious reason to swap Paris for Madrid at the current stage of Enrique's career, however football's a funny old game so who knows, we could say this now and by tomorrow he's announced as head coach.

🇪🇸🥇 The trophies Luis Enrique has won at PSG since joining them in 2023... 🔴🔵

🏆 x3 Trophee des Champions
🏆 x2 Ligue 1
🏆 x2 Coupe de France
🏆 UEFA Champions League
🏆 UEFA Super Cup
🏆 FIFA Intercontinental Cup

10 trophies in around 2.5 years. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/QW8CcpPxEe

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) January 10, 2026

5) Andoni Iraola - Odds at Time of Writing: 12/1 or 13.00

Currently the manager of AFC Bournemouth, Basque Country manager Iraola has become one of the hottest prospects in the world of footbaqll managers. His turning around of Bournemouth from relegation fodder into a European challenging side has not gone un-noticed by the footballing world.

One of those that has kept an eye on his managerial progress is of course Real Madrid who have had a historical interest in the current Bournemouth coach, eyeing him as a possible successor to Ancelotti prior to the appointment of Alonso.

There are reasons that Iraola is lower down the list of potential managers however two primary ones stick out.

Firstly, Bournemouth are currently on a very poor run of form in the Premier League, they sit in 14th at the time of writing and more importantly have only won 1 of their last 12 games in the league, at Madrid you'd be sacked for far less.

Secondly, the appointment of Iraola generally doesn't fit the style that Madrid opt for when appointing a new boss, veteran managers and serial winners tend to be the main priority for the club and frankly, as good of a manager as he is, Iraola just doesn't fit this description.

If we think of some of the most successful Madrid managers in history they have all been big name serial winners whether as players or managers, for example; Mourinho, Ancelotti, Zidane.

Maybe Iraola defies the expectations, joins as manager and establishes himself as one of these names but according to the bookies and our personal opinion this is probably one of the less likely events.

🚨 Andoni Iraola will join Xabi Alonso on the Real Madrid shortlist to replace Carlo Ancelotti, if the Italian leaves this summer. 🍒

(Source: @CraigHope_DM) pic.twitter.com/81vNxDQwcG

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) February 18, 2025