Real Madrid weighing options: Zidane prioritizes France, Klopp settled at Red Bull as Alonso future questioned

Uncertainty surrounds Real Madrid’s next managerial step if Xabi Alonso is dismissed. Multiple high-placed contacts indicate Zinedine Zidane’s priority remains the France national team, making a mid-season Bernabéu return unlikely. Jürgen Klopp, meanwhile, is described as happy in his senior role within the Red Bull football project and not pushing for an immediate return to club dugouts. That leaves Madrid with short-term and internal pathways, with timing and dressing-room dynamics central to any decision. The fanbase is split between patience and a reset. The club is weighing continuity, cost, and chemistry with a star-heavy squad.

Context from senior figures in Spain and France indicates Real Madrid are assessing scenarios around their head coach position. Zidane’s long-standing ambition to lead the France national team remains a significant factor. Klopp’s ongoing work in the Red Bull football structure is seen as a stabilizing chapter for him. Inside Valdebebas, contingency planning is routine at this stage of the season, with performance trends, player leadership voices and fixture density all part of the calculus.

🚨 JUST IN: It’s currently unclear if Real Madrid will make a move for Zinedine Zidane if Xabi Alonso is sacked. There is a desire to manage France NT. Jürgen Klopp is also happy in his role with Red Bull, according to sources close to him. @MarioCortegana

@MadridXtra

Impact Analysis

If Real Madrid opt for a change, the calendar becomes their biggest opponent. Mid-season appointments carry transition costs, tactical resets and noise that can destabilize a Champions League run. Zidane’s preference for the France job aligns with his desire to control a project with shorter, high-impact windows, and it spares him the collision course of reshaping Madrid’s midfield on the fly. Klopp’s profile presents a different friction point - his pressing principles demand pre-season conditioning and a squad built to sprint in waves. Asking Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior to expend at Klopp levels without a full physical and tactical ramp-up is a risk to output in key knockout moments.

For Madrid’s board, the pragmatic path could be continuity until summer, paired with stronger internal alignment. That would protect amortization plans, preserve dressing-room equity among the senior core, and keep options open with Zidane and the France timeline. Financially, avoiding a large mid-season buyout and backroom staff overhaul matters, especially with ongoing squad planning for full-back depth and a holding midfielder profile. The broader market trend shows elite clubs minimizing turbulence in-season. Madrid, historically ruthless but calculated, know short-term shock can compromise long-term supremacy.

Reaction

Fan sentiment is fractured and loud. A sizable group argues to back Alonso through the season, citing results that are imperfect but not disastrous. Others dismiss that patience, claiming the dressing room needs a sharper edge and clearer authority. Several voices insist Zidane will not walk into a mid-season mess and is focused on a national team arc. Klopp’s suitability divides the timeline - supporters like the long-term project, skeptics doubt gegenpress demands would suit Mbappé and Vinícius immediately. There is also grumbling at perceived board inconsistency, with some claiming managers have been undersupported during rough patches.

Alternative names spark debate. One camp floats a short-term specialist to steady the room, while another pitches an internal caretaker to buy time for a summer reset and larger departures. A minority pushes for a return to a disciplinarian profile capable of managing egos as much as tactics. In short, Madridistas are weighing identity vs. immediacy - romance of Zidane, the structure of Klopp, or the calm of staying the course. The only consensus is that the decision must protect Champions League ambitions.

Social reactions

No one in his right mind would come to manage Real Madrid where the board does not back the manager.

Vito Corleone (@Sexiro22)

The Special One can deal with the ego in the dressing room

Inside life (@Inside_life_09)

We will be better without a coach 😭

The 16 (@AriahFootball)

Prediction

The most plausible sequence is Madrid backing Alonso through the season unless a hard cliff appears in results or the dressing room. The club has historically preferred strategic timing, making a summer pivot more likely. If the France job opens on a timetable that suits Zidane, expect firm movement in that direction and minimal club-level distraction for him. Klopp is likely to stay in his Red Bull capacity this season, with any club return predicated on a full pre-season, recruitment alignment and medical-prep guarantees.

If Madrid do act early, an internal caretaker fits the pattern. A figure who knows the academy graduates, reads the room and keeps the stars locked on output can bridge to June. That interim could stabilize set-piece schemes, tighten the defensive block in big away nights, and simplify chance creation around Mbappé and Vinícius. Come summer, Madrid can evaluate three lanes: 1) a Zidane-France resolution that frees him for a new cycle later, 2) re-approaching Klopp with pre-season control and data-led conditioning targets, 3) a progressive Iberian profile aligned with current squad age curves. The club will keep every option warm.

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Conclusion

Madrid’s strength has always been choice and timing. Right now, the smartest play is to reduce noise, protect the Champions League plan and let the season breathe. Zidane’s heart appears set on the tricolor, and it is hard to argue with that trajectory. Klopp, by all informed accounts, is building and learning in a role that suits his energy rhythms after a decade of intensity. That does not close doors - it moves the conversation to summer, where leverage increases and fit improves.

Inside Valdebebas, the message should be clarity. If Alonso stays, back him publicly and privately. If a caretaker is needed, make it clean, brief and purposeful. The squad has the firepower to carry a streamlined plan to May. The board’s job is to keep the runway smooth. The rest can wait for a window where elite managers, elite players and elite preparation meet on equal terms. Madrid have earned that patience. Now they must use it wisely.