Real Madrid eye Mauricio Pochettino as leading candidate for managerial role
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has identified Mauricio Pochettino as a leading candidate to become the club's next permanent manager, according to multiple reports. The search for a successor to Alvaro Arbeloa has intensified following Real Madrid's elimination from the Champions League at the quarter-final stage for the second consecutive season, with the club also facing continued domestic pressure from rivals Barcelona.
According to The Athletic's Mario Cortegana, Real Madrid have drawn up a four-man shortlist that includes Jurgen Klopp, Zinedine Zidane, Didier Deschamps, and Pochettino. A subsequent report from RMC Sport's Fabrice Hawkins confirmed that Pochettino is highly regarded within the club's hierarchy, particularly by Perez himself. The president is said to have gathered detailed information on Pochettino's profile and his capacity to handle the intense pressure that comes with managing at the Santiago Bernabeu.
While Klopp is admired, the expectation is that the German, who currently holds a football director role with Red Bull, has no intention of returning to management in the immediate future. Zidane, meanwhile, is widely reported to have a verbal agreement to succeed Deschamps as the manager of the French national team after the 2026 World Cup, effectively ruling him out of the running. This appears to leave a race primarily between Deschamps and Pochettino, with Perez's reported favouritism tipping the scales toward the Argentine.
Pochettino is currently under contract as the head coach of the United States men's national team, a position he has held since 2024. His availability would therefore be contingent on the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup, which the USA is co-hosting. The 54-year-old built his reputation during a transformative five-year spell at Tottenham Hotspur between 2014 and 2019, where he guided the club to a Champions League final and their highest-ever Premier League finishes, though he did not secure any silverware.
His subsequent club career included an 18-month tenure at Paris Saint-Germain, where he won three trophies, and a brief stint at Chelsea. The move to Real Madrid would represent the most high-pressure club job of his career, tasked with restoring the club's dominance in both Spain and Europe. For Real Madrid, appointing Pochettino would signal a move toward a modern, project-oriented manager known for developing young talent, which could align with the club's recent transfer strategy. The final decision rests with Perez, who is seeking a managerial appointment that can reassert the club's authority at the highest level.
