Real Madrid will name their new manager Xabi Alonso before the Club World Cup in the United States this summer. With Carlo Ancelotti set to depart after the final La Liga clash on the 24th or 25th of May, Alonso is due to arrive the following week.

The Club World Cup starts on the 15th of June, with Los Blancos first in action on the 18th against Al-Hilal in Miami. There had initially been doubts about whether Alonso would be in charge for the tournament, he was more keen to be in charge after the tournament, with Director of Football Santiago Solari initially prepared to take over on an interim basis for that tournament alone.

Real Madrid did not give Xabi Alonso a choice

Los Blancos will have the Basque manager in charge though, as broken initially by Cadena Cope. That information has been corroborated by Marca, who say that Alonso had little choice in the matter. The call was made last week, ahead of Alonso’s announcement that he was leaving Bayer Leverkusen, and after Carlo Ancelotti’s exit deal was agreed.

Real Madrid believe that it makes no sense to have Solari in charge, with little credit in the bank, of an important tournament, while their future manager plans for the coming season. The prospect of the €150m in prize money for the tournament played a key role in the decision too. Alonso is set to sign a three-year deal on the first of June with Real Madrid.

Difficult turnaround for Xabi Alonso

It does not leave Alonso with much margin to turn things around. Alonso reportedly preferred to take over after the Club World Cup due to the risk of an early disappointment, with numerous injuries, an exhausted squad, and little time to work on new ideas.

With an international break coming up at the start of June, Alonso will arrive the following week after the Liga season finishes. This is followed by the international break, and then Alonso will have a week to prepare with the players for the Club World Cup.