Five possible candidates for the Real Madrid hot seat

Jose Mourinho is set to leave Spanish giants Real Madrid at the end of the season, in all probability, for a return to his beloved Chelsea. The Special One is set to end his three year association with los Blancos, having won two trophies in three seasons at the capital club. 

And as it always is when there is a managerial vacancy at the biggest club in the world, a whole host of names have come up as possible replacements for the Portuguese tactician. Here is a look at five possible candidates for the top job in world football:

Carlo Ancelotti: The Paris Saint-Germain manager has been one of the best managers in the world for the last decade and has won league titles in three different countries as well as the UEFA Champions League, Real’s Holy Grail. And although the French giants have asserted their stance of holding onto the Italian, the mystique of Real Madrid might just be too difficult to ignore for the former Milan chief. The biggest stumbling block in the deal is the former Chelsea boss’s contract with les Parisiens, which runs till the end of 2014 and PSG have no desire to part with their championship winning manager unless there is a substantial monetary gain.

Ancelotti took charge of PSG in December 2011 when they were on top of Ligue 1 on goal difference and led the club to the title this season with two games to spare. He also led the club to the quarter finals of the UEFA Champions League where they held Barcelona 3-3 on aggregate, only to be knocked out on away goals.

Jupp Heynckes: The Bayern Munich manager is ready to walk into the sunset at the end of the season, leaving the Bavarians in charge of Pep Guardiola. But an offer to manage Real Madrid might just persuade him to reverse that decision, ala Sir Alex Ferguson in 2003. The third highest goal scorer in Bundesliga history has managed Real in the past, leading them to European glory after almost four decades and if the deal to bring Ancelotti doesn’t materialize, it could become possible to see the former West German international in the Madrid hot seat once again.

Having recently won the UEFA Champions League for a second time with Bayern Munich, Heynckes has illuminated his CV further. His last match in charge of Bayern will be on 1^st June when they take on VfB Stuttgart in the final of the DFB Pokal, after which, he will be free to take charge of Real should they approach him.

Massimiliano Allegri: The AC Milan boss finds himself in quite a precarious situation, in spite of leading the club to third in the Serie A, with arguably one of the weakest sides Milan has assembled in years. He has been linked with the managerial post at AS Roma but should Real Madrid come calling, it will be too difficult for him to turn them down. The 45 year old is experienced enough and has shown his capability in handling huge egos in the dressing room, getting the best out of Zlatan Ibrahimovic as he led the club to the title in 2011.

And with doubts about his future his future at the San Siro, Real could see an opportunity in prizing away one of the best young coaches in the game at the moment.

Michael Laudrup: The former Danish international is one of the greatest players to have graced the Bernabeu pitch during the 1990s and given the fact that the return of a former player as a manager is always a popular choice, Laudrup is being considered as the dark horse in the race to succeed Mourinho. The 48 year old worked wonders on a limited budget at Mallorca and Getafe in la Liga. And given his success with Swansea City this season, the Danish legend is already being seen a future managerial great. Swansea City play perhaps the most entertaining football in the Premier League after Arsenal – imagine what would happen if he inherited the highly talented squad at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Andre Villas-Boas: Another wildcard entry on this list, Villas-Boas is a name that has come up once or twice as a possible candidate to replace his former mentor at los Blancos. Having worked under The Special One at Chelsea and Inter before moving to management himself, Villas Boas is seen as a highly talented coach and someone who can work under a strict budget as well. Although he hasn’t done anything special in his short managerial career, he is tipped for greatness and with Real in the hunt to sign Gareth Bale, bringing in Villas-Boas might just help them acquire the services of the Welshman and build a team for the future.

The question here is should Real go for an experienced head to take charge of the biggest pool of talent in the world or go for a complete revolution in their coaching hierarchy? Real are known for their trigger friendliness when it comes to the managerial position but they might do well looking at what stability can bring (Manchester United, anyone?). With the presidential election set for June, Real president Florentino Perez will have to move fast to hire the club’s next manager.


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Posted by Subham Mitra on behalf of FootballWorld.