Real Madrid announced that Zidane has decided to part ways with the club for the second time. To make matters worse, previously reported favourite replacement Massimiliano Allegri is now closer to a Juventus return.
Real Madrid has never been the club to have steady managers. If any manager has looked likely to survive the immense pressure and demands at the Bernabeu it has to be Zidane but for the second time in 3 years, the Frenchman has decided to step down as Real Madrid manager.
Some reports claim that Zidane couldn't deal with the stress and criticism that came with the job while others claim that President Florentino Perez wasn't ready to give Zidane things he wanted such as a new contract for club captain Sergio Ramos and Lucas Vazquez along with new signings.
Zidane's departure opens a door for a revamp at Real Madrid. Real Madrid has an ageing squad with very few players who are at their prime. The last time Zidane left Madrid things went haywire at the Bernabeu. So much that Zidane himself had to return after just 9 months.
Massimiliano Allegri was heavily linked with the Madrid job but several reports now claim that the Italian is certainly going to Rejoin Juventus to replace Andrea Pirlo. The new favourite now is another former Juventus boss Antonio Conte. The Italian manager left Inter Milan just days after winning the Serie A due to the board's plan of selling 80M worth of players because of the financial situation. Conte just like Allegri has rejected Real Madrid in the past. Allegri supposedly got tired of waiting as Real Madrid wanted to do everything to convince Zidane to stay and was more excited by the Juventus project
Another manager linked to Madrid is Mauricio Pochettino. The current PSG manager has a good relationship with Florentino Perez and is keen to join Real Madrid. Pochettino has previously had a good stint with La Liga club Espanyol.
Both Conte and Pochettino are also candidates for the Tottenham job. Spurs sacked Mourinho in April. Caretaker Manager Ryan Mason has shown his inexperience and there is no chance of him being the Permanent manager. Nuno Espirito Santo is another candidate after recently announcing his departure from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Simone Inzaghi is likely to take the Vacant Inter Milan. Joachim Low who will leave the Germany job after the Euros is another candidate for Real Madrid. Real Madrid legend Raul who is currently managing the Real Madrid Castilla is also an option if nothing else works out.
Real Madrid are linked with many players due to arrive this summer like David Alaba, Jules Kounde, Pau Torres and most importantly Kylian Mbappe. Zidane's departure and lack of clarity upon his replacement might significantly delay or completely cancel their arrival. On the other hand, there are bigger question marks over renewals of Sergio Ramos and Lucas Vazquez who are set to be free agents.
