Despite having briefed the press for several weeks that Xabi Alonso’s job was on the line, it came as a general surprise that he parted with ways with Real Madrid on Monday evening. Alvaro Arbeloa was announced shortly after as his replacement.

It is not yet clear whether Arbeloa has been appointed as a permanent replacement, or until the summer, allowing Real Madrid to choose Alonso’s successor in peace, but there have been reports that his contract expends beyond the end of the season. Real Madrid continue to be linked with a number of managers though. It seems Real Madrid could well have walked into a live casino and gone all in on Arbeloa, who is undoubtedly a gamble.

Were you to look at norge-casino.com though, you would no doubt find odds on replacements for Arbeloa. Alonso’s dismissal is evidence that any major club has a back-up plan in place ready to go should they need it. Managing Real Madrid is not the same game as any other club, as Alonso can attest, and it might be more akin to gambling in an ethereum casino, as opposed to the chips you might be dealing with in any other job.

One name consistently linked to Real Madrid is Jurgen Klopp. Supposedly a favourite of Anas Laghrari, a close advisor to President Florentino Perez, the German coach has consistently distanced himself from the job. Los Blancos are ever confident in their powers of persuasion, and if they could bring in Klopp, he might be one of the few personalities that could dominate the dressing room. Even then though, stylistically, Klopp bears a resemblance to Alonso.

Departed Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca has also been thrown out as a potential option, as has former manager and current Benfica boss Jose Mourinho. The former struggled to manage up though during his time at Stamford Bridge, something vital at the Bernabeu, and the latter has struggled for the success he had earlier in his career over the last decade.

The reality is that there is no obvious answer as to who Real Madrid should target – before his arrival at the Bernabeu, Xabi Alonso was held up as the next great manager. Their success in the 21st century has come at the hands of Vicente del Bosque, Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane; managers familiar with Real Madrid, and with the presence to handle the club’s idiosyncracies. In theory, that was Alonso too, but there are few on the market that hold a similar charisma.