Xabi Alonso is set to take over as the next manager of Real Madrid after announcing he would leave Bayer Leverkusen, and he has a big task before him to get the team back on track after a difficult season
It’s only a matter of time before Xabi Alonso is confirmed as the next Real Madrid manager after announcing he would be leaving Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the season. The Spaniard will have huge plans about who will be in his team at the Bernabeu as he looks to help them bounce back from a barren season.
Alonso is one of the most highly-rated young managers in football and stands to inherit a star-studded team featuring stars like Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr, but he will have idea of which areas he wants to strengthen too.
Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has already been confirmed as the next Brazil boss and is should be only a matter of time before Alonso gets to work at his former club. He should only need a handful of signings to get his new side back in fighting condition for trophies again and it won’t be long before he starts identifying those targets.
Mirror Football has taken a look at how Real Madrid could line up under Alonso next season should he be successful in acquiring some of his top summer targets…
READ MORE: Jeremie Frimpong ‘in advanced talks’ with Liverpool to replace Trent Alexander-ArnoldREAD MORE: Carlo Ancelotti appointed Brazil manager as Real Madrid exit date confirmed
Defence
Thibaut Courtois is the undisputed No 1 in goal and that won’t change under Alonso, but he might need to start thinking about how his defence might look. Madrid have some ageing centre-backs, with Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba both aged 32, but they still have enough quality to star next season.
Eder Militao will also hope to get in the team under Alonso but Los Blancos’ new boss will want at least one new centre-back who can compete for a place and add much-needed competition.
Jonathan Tah was a favourite of Alonso’s at Leverkusen and he fancies taking the centre-half to Madrid with him, according to Spanish outlet AS. The commanding 29-year-old is in demand, though, and has also been linked with Manchester United.
The German is available on a free transfer and would be a huge coup. But with Bayern Munich also sniffing around, a deal may not be as straightforward as it seems.
Midfield
While Trent Alexander-Arnold will consider himself as a defender, he is expected to operate between defence and midfield in Alonso’s back three and play more as an attacking wing-back that will get forward and cause problems down the flanks.
The England international’s move is yet to be confirmed but is a formality after confirmation he will leave Liverpool this summer on a free transfer. It’s believe Madrid are hoping to get Alexander-Arnold over the line before they depart for the Club World Cup.
On the opposite flank, Alonso is said to want another left wing-back, especially after Ferland Mendy was ruled out with a serious muscle injury and is unlikely to be back before said tournament starts next month.
Alonso could, then, launch another raid on Leverkusen for Alex Grimaldo, who has been superb across the last two seasons. He registered seven assists in the Bundesliga this season and had 13 last season, in addition to 10 goals.
In the middle of the park, Federico Valverde is likely to be the automatic starter, but with Luka Modric approaching the end of his contract, Alonso will want a younger midfielder he can depend on for years to come. Martin Zubimendi has been strongly linked with Arsenal, but is also on Alonso’s wishlist and the player may prefer to stay in Spain at one of the country’s top clubs rather than join the Premier League.
Attack
Find a way to accommodate both Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe will be a complex problem for any manager in football to solve but Madrid’s attack practically picks itself. Alonso might find himself shoehorned into playing both Vinicius and Mbappe up front, with Bellingham playing just off them in the No 10 role, unless he opts to play the former two as wingers and buy a new forward.
It will should become a real dilemma as superstar Mbappe will want to be the focal point up front, but Alonso may soon come to realise why Ancelotti had so many issues getting his squad to gel as a unit this season – and perhaps he’ll see that the balance is wrong with Mbappe as the lone striker.
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