Florentino Pérez has always known for a fact that Real Madrid's next coach will be Xabi Alonso.
He's never been in a hurry, however. He's delighted with Carlo Ancelotti and Xabi Alonso is still very young. Real Madrid's strategy was waiting for the Tolosan coach to finish his training at Bayer Leverkusen first.
Xabi Alonso's Boom
The thing is that nobody expected Xabi Alonso to have such an exceptional season in his debut as a Bundesliga coach. His team dominated at will, with spectacular plays and astronomical results (they finished the Bundesliga unbeaten).
Xabi Alonso's boom has precipitated things. He's become the new trend and the big names are following his lead.
Liverpool was the competitor that Florentino Pérez feared the most due to Xabi Alonso's time as a red player. Despite that, a new setback has been added at the last minute.
Liverpool has a new manager after Jürgen Klopp's departure but City is about to lose its own. Pep Guardiola's departure is becoming more evident as days go by.
City Thinks of Xabi Alonso as Guardiola's Replacement
Following the departure of Txiki Begiristain as sporting director, Pep Guardiola's departure from the Etihad Stadium will be announced next summer.
City has already started the engines by contacting Xabi Alonso, who's quickly communicated the news to Florentino Pérez so that he's informed.
Now the club must make a momentous decision. They can either reinforce the confidence in Ancelotti for the coming years despite his age or bet on a young, prepared, successful coach who knows the club.
Florentino Pérez would've preferred to delay this moment for two or three years. Now, however, he must make a decision to prevent Xabi Alonso from ultimately going to Manchester City.
Xabi Alonso would prefer to land at Bernabéu. Otherwise, at Liverpool, which is the other great club that deserves a place in his heart. City's bet can't be passed up, though.
Ancelotti Doesn't Deserve a Hasty Exit
Ancelotti doesn't deserve a hasty exit from the Bernabéu, even if his age makes him hard to imagine as a long-term manager.
Xabi Alonso has a contract with Bayer Leverkusen until June 2026. This is the right date for Florentino Pérez in his strategy to provoke a change in the Real Madrid dugout. On that date, Ancelotti's contract with Real Madrid also expires.
But the imminent departure of Pep Guardiola changes everything and City will not have money problems to convince Xabi Alonso. Florentino must make the big decision now.