Mauricio Pochettino among Real Madrid managerial candidates

Mauricio Pochettino, the U.S. men’s national team head coach, is reportedly among the candidates Real Madrid is considering to take over as manager for the 2026-27 season. The club is currently led by Alvaro Arbeloa, who took the job earlier this year, but has already begun assessing options for a summer hire.

Real began the season under Xabi Alonso, who was brought in after building Bayer Leverkusen into a Bundesliga champion and was hired to replace Carlo Ancelotti, who took over Brazil. Alonso was dismissed in January and the club turned to another former player, Arbeloa, who had been managing at youth level and would need to greatly exceed expectations to keep the job.

ESPN says Pochettino is on the shortlist. He has La Liga experience with Espanyol as both player and coach and has managed Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea. He has been linked with a return to Europe during his USMNT tenure, including reports that he could return to Spurs after the World Cup.

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