Real Madrid News
Real Madrid keeping track of Argentine coach as Ancelotti replacement
The recent sack of Julian Nagelsmann has shocked everyone in the footballing world recently, with the young German tactician being ousted by Bayern Munich, following a poor start to the Bundesliga season.
Nagelsmann has been replaced by Thomas Tuchel, who was one of the coaches that were keeping a close eye on Real Madrid’s managerial situation.
Shortly after Nagelsmann’s sack, rumours erupted about Real Madrid having a long-term interest in the German tactician, with many even expecting him to be one of the frontrunners to become the next manager for Los Blancos.
Current manager Carlo Ancelotti has indeed faced immense pressure recently, especially after the club’s poor performances in domestic competitions. If three back-to-back defeats against Barcelona was not enough, the club are on the verge of relinquishing their league crown.
Ancelotti’s potential departure at the end of the season means Real Madrid have already started looking for replacements.
While Nagelsmann is one option, a report from Bruno Andrade (h/t Madrid Xtra) states that the Spanish giants are also keeping an eye on Marcelo Gallardo.
A former playmaker for Paris Saint-Germain, Gallardo is without a job right now. But he has substantial managerial experience, having spent more than eight years as a manager at River Plate, overseeing 424 competitive matches.
Gallardo left River Plate in late 2022 and has been available since. The Argentine is rated highly due to his tactical prowess and ability to nurture young players.
While Nagelsmann boasts similar qualities, Gallardo certainly has more experience in managing South American talents and his superior man-management skills could potentially make him a better option for Los Blancos.
However, Gallardo does lack experience in managing in Europe, which could potentially act as a bottleneck as Real Madrid look to scout their options ahead of the coming summer.
Real Madrid News
Jose Mourinho was always clear about getting rid of Real Madrid midfielder this summer – report
Real Madrid’s summer transfer window was largely successful, not only in terms of securing key arrivals but also in terms of letting go of players who had no place in the dynamics.
One player who stood out in the second category was Dani Ceballos as the Spanish midfielder was frozen out of Real Madrid’s starting dynamics for several years before his eventual departure.
In the end, the club simply let the player leave as a free agent by accepting a contract termination as they saw the salary space freed as a win compared to his presence.
Mourinho’s clear stance
As confirmed in a recent report by Diario AS, Real Madrid’s new manager Jose Mourinho has no doubt that he did not count on Ceballos for the ongoing season.
Being the straightforward communicator that he is, the Portuguese manager directly informed Ceballos that he did not count on him in any capacity, speaking out loud about a fact that was known as an open secret for a long time.
Having clarity that his situation at the club was not going to change, Ceballos pressed to leave and eventually had his way as the club allowed him to walk out of the front door with no transfer fee.
Times were tense
The Spanish outlet also add that the decision to let the player leave with a contract termination was not easy for Real Madrid to accept, especially given that it is a last resort.
In the negotiations between Ceballos and the Real Madrid hierarchy, there were some moments filled with tension and disagreements.
In fact, there was even an initial exit agreement that was reached which was cancelled in the hope of a better outcome.
Eventually, however, both parties reached a fitting resolution and Real Madrid enabled the player’s departure without any hurdles and Ceballos went on to join Real Betis.
Even that move required the player to take a massive cut on his salary, but the saga worked out well for both clubs as the player. From Real Madrid’s perspective, the space created on the team’s roster was worth its weight in gold.
