‘Incredible’ Premier League manager to rival Xabi Alonso for Real Madrid role after stunning campaign
Real Madrid have reportedly added one of the Premier League’s best managers to their shortlist to replace Carlo Ancelotti.
While the Italian remains committed to the Spanish club, there have been reports in recent seasons of a potential exit.
His contract expires in 2026 and one of the leading contenders for his role has been Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso. However, the former Liverpool and Bayern Munich midfielder now has competition from Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola.
According to the Daily Mail, Real Madrid have put together a shortlist of managers as part of a contingency plan for the exit of Ancelotti if he leaves in the summer. On that list includes Iraola who has impressed with Bournemouth and Alonso.
Iraola’s incredible rise
Having previously masterminded helped Rayo Vallecano to be promoted back to the top flight in Spain before finishing 12th and 11th in two seasons at the club in La Liga, and he was already catching the eye in Spain before moving to England.
A progressive, talented manager, Rayo managed to beat Barcelona home and away after being promoted before beating Real Madrid and Barcelona at home in the 2022-23 campaign. In their first season without him, they fell to 17th in the league.
At the same time, Iraola struggled in his early days at Bournemouth, losing seven of his first 11 games of the league campaign and some were calling for his head at the time but he steadied the ship with seven wins in nine after that poor start before finishing 12th.
The 2024-25 season has been a revelation for the Cherries, finding themselves rooted in serious contention for European football in sixth place in the Premier League having beaten Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest this season.
Pep Guardiola called him an ‘incredible‘ manager and one of Spain’s best young tacticians which is certainly high praise and his ability to produce exceptional performances from a team that finished 12th last season has been incredibly impressive.
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Premier League clubs are also interested
While Madrid could be a difficult job to obtain, Iraola has plenty of admirers in the Premier League and could remain in England and move to a bigger club in stature, such as Tottenham Hotspur.
One report claimed that the club want to tie Iraola down to a new deal but talks have not yet opened, giving Spurs a potential boost if they want to replace Ange Postecoglou at the end of the season.
His current deal expires at the end of next season (2026) and with Bournemouth looking set for a European push, he could well be targeted by more clubs in the summer.
