According to El Nacional, former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has emerged as a candidate to take over at Real Madrid. Chelsea parted ways with the German manager on September 7, less than 24 hours after their 1-0 Champions League defeat to Dinamo Zagreb. A day later ex-Brighton boss Graham Potter was named Tuchel’s successor.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has identified the German as one of the candidates to succeed Carlo Ancelotti at the Santiago Bernabeu, claims El Nacional. Tuchel is adored by Perez due to the Blues’ Champions League success under the German tactician.
Ancelotti’s future as manager of Real Madrid is far from certain after this season. The Italian mastermind is said to be thinking about retiring from management, which is not surprising given his age of 63.
El Nacional claims that history may repeat itself, as the Spanish capital club fired Ancelotti in 2015 despite the Italian helping Los Blancos win the much-anticipated La Decima. Parting ways with Ancelotti sparked a lot of criticism at the time, and if Real Madrid does not have a successful season, he may face the same fate this season. Last season, the Italian tactician led Los Blancos to a Champions League and LaLiga double.
The Spanish giants have started the season well. They are unbeaten in LaLiga and defeated Celtic 3-0 in their Champions League debut on September 6. According to the report, Perez’s ideal managerial hire would be Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, but that appointment is unlikely.
Under Roman Abramovich’s ownership, the Blues were notorious for repeatedly sacking their managers. The new owners’ decision to part ways with Tuchel so early in the season has been widely panned.
During his 19 months as Blues manager, Tuchel became a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge. After taking over in January, the German led the west London club to their second Champions League triumph in 2021.
During Tuchel’s tenure, the Blues also won one UEFA Super Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup while losing two FA Cup finals and one League Cup final.
