Mauricio Pochettino is our favourite to be the next permanent manager of Real Madrid. The Spanish giants suffered a shock 2-0 Champions League defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk last Tuesday and now face the very real prospect of not making it to the knockout stages for the first time in 24 years.
It’s the second time Real have lost to the Ukrainian outfit in this season’s competition and they must win against Borussia Monchengladbach in their final gameday to ensure qualification. It’s not much better in the league with Madrid fourth in La Liga despite victory over Sevilla on Saturday, six points behind leaders Atletico Madrid having played a game extra.
Zinedine Zidane has insisted he would not quit but the hierarchy at the Bernabeu is notoriously cut throat and if it comes to it, it’s unlikely the World Cup winner would have any say over his future.
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Former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has been biding his time since getting the boot at Spurs but his managerial exile may soon come to an end as he’s clear favourite in Paddy’s markets to be the next Real Madrid manager. It would seem premature to sack Zidane right now, but failure to qualify from their Champions League group would surely seal his exit, especially as he built his reputation as a manager by repeatedly winning the competition.
Max Allegri is the next in our markets and he’s been heavily linked with Mikel Arteta’s job at Arsenal. He’s been out of the game even longer than Pochettino and hasn’t managed since leaving Juventus in 2019 after a trophy-laden spell.
Real Madrid legend Raul is our third-most likely, just in front of former Bernabeu team-mate Guti. Raul is treading the same route that Zidane did and is currently in charge of their development side, Castilla. Guti is currently managing in the second tier of Spanish football at Almeria.
Belgium boss Roberto Martinez shares the shame price as Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger at the time of writing but both would be fairly left-field appointments.
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