Real Madrid’s failure to sign Xabi Alonso’s top transfer target from Arsenal has been blamed for ‘dooming’ his tenure from the start.
Alonso, who left Madrid on Monday by ‘mutual consent’, reportedly made it clear to the hierarchy that midfielder Martin Zubimendi was top of his wish list.
Madrid’s failure to shore up their midfield with a conductor who can also lead an aggressive press is seen as a key reason why Alonso was unable to impose his ideas.
Alonso had a hard time convincing the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior to buy into the collective ethos which worked so well at Bayer Leverkusen. Meanwhile, Madrid have lacked the control in midfield that Toni Kroos and Luka Modric used to bring.
Spanish newspaper AS claims that Madrid had the finances to sign Zubimendi – Arsenal bought him for £60million from Real Sociedad – but that they hesitated.
Zubimendi reportedly delayed his move to Arsenal after hearing from Alonso but Madrid’s hierarchy continued to stall and the 26-year-old eventually joined the Gunners two weeks later than planned.
Xabi Alonso was reportedly ‘doomed to fail from the start’ after Real Madrid failed to sign his top target Martin Zubimendi
Zubimendi went to Arsenal for £60million instead and has thrived for Mikel Arteta’s side
Madrid have a talented midfield but have lacked the control Zubimendi might have brought
Alonso is said to have privately complained that they lacked a physical presence to anchor his team, despite having star quality in Jude Bellingham, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, and Federico Valverde.
At Leverkusen, where Alonso won an invincible domestic double in 2023-24, the Spaniard had Granit Xhaka and he was hoping to have a similar figure in Zubimendi.
Alonso was sacked just seven months into his tenure and fewer than 24 hours after losing 3-2 to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The 44-year-old had come under increasing pressure due to rumours of a rift with some players, and a reported misalignment with the board over tactics.
He did not have a particularly bad record. Madrid are still in the LaLiga title fight and sit seventh in the Champions League league phase. But the pressure at Madrid is perhaps greater than anywhere else and he has already been ousted, replaced by fellow legend Alvaro Arbeloa, who had been in charge of the B team.
One moment that betrayed his lack of power came after the Super Cup final, where Alonso wanted his players to do a guard of honour for Barcelona, but Mbappe refused and eventually the manager backed down.
Prior to the trophy presentation, the Barca players had formed a guard of honour for Madrid to go and collect their medals. It was not, however, reciprocated by Madrid, after Mbappe’s protests.
Alonso urged Mbappe and his players to come over and give their rivals a guard of honour.
Kylian Mbappe appeared to defy the orders of Xabi Alonso after Real Madrid’s defeat by Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final
In a viral clip, Alonso (top left) was seen urging his players to give Barcelona a guard of honour
Alvaro Arbeloa has been promoted from the Real Madrid B team to take charge
However, Mbappe took issue with this and was seen throwing his hands up in the air before he walked off, with Alonso seemingly admitting defeat as he headed towards the direction of his star man.
Some have suggested that this moment summed up Alonso’s reign, where he has faced challenges to his authority from his own players, most notably from Vinicius Jnr, who reportedly told Real president Florentino Perez that he wouldn’t renew his contract while the former Bayer Leverkusen boss remained in charge.
After the dust settled on Sunday’s defeat, Mbappe did share a heartfelt message for Alonso following his sacking.
‘It’s been short but it was a pleasure to play for you and learn from you,’ the French star said. ‘Thank you for giving me the confidence since Day 1.
‘I will remember you as a manager who had clear ideas and knows many things about football. Best of luck for your next chapter.’
Meanwhile, speaking after the game, Barca president Joan Laporta expressed his shock at Real’s refusal to provide a guard of honour.
He said: ‘I’m surprised they didn’t give us a guard of honour. You have to be generous and respectful even when you lose, but I understand that it must have been a really tough time.
‘They must have been really struggling, and that’s why they reacted that way.’
