Jurgen Klopp says he was ‘genuinely surprised’ by Xabi Alonso’s sacking at Real Madrid and has played down speculation he could now be in line for the Bernabeu job.
Alonso lasted less than eight months as Real Madrid manager before being dismissed on Monday afternoon, less than 24 hours after losing to rivals Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup.
Real Madrid, who said Alonso had left the club by ‘mutual consent’, announced Alvaro Arbeloa had been placed in temporary charge of the side.
Klopp was soon being linked with the Real Madrid job after Alonso’s departure but the former Liverpool manager insists the announcement has ‘absolutely nothing to do with me’.
The Anfield legend was working as a pundit on ServusTV On shortly after Alonso’s sacking and was asked about his links to Real Madrid.
‘About two hours ago the news suddenly broke that Xabi Alonso is no longer the coach of Real Madrid,’ the host said. ‘So my question is this: has your phone already started ringing?’
Klopp responded: ‘It actually has — though not from Madrid. But yes, there were definitely a few people who felt they had to contact me directly about it.
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‘First of all, I think it’s another sign that something isn’t quite right there at the moment.
‘If Xabi Alonso, who over the last two years in Leverkusen has shown what an outstanding coaching talent he is – and I think at his age and with the number of jobs he’s had, you can say that — is then forced to leave Madrid just six months later, it shows a few things.
‘On the one hand, it shows that nowadays there’s no time anymore. On the other, the expectations at Real Madrid are obviously enormous.
‘To make a decision like that in the heat of the moment, after losing a cup final to Barcelona yesterday, says a lot. I think we’d already been hearing rumours for a while.
‘And now – I don’t know if that’s where your question was going – but this has absolutely nothing to do with me, and it didn’t trigger anything for me either, which would probably have been the follow-up question.
‘I was surprised, that’s true – genuinely surprised. Then a few people messaged me, and I replied with various emojis.’
Klopp has been without a management job since leaving Liverpool at the end of the 2023-24 season.
The former Borussia Dortmund boss won the Premier League and Champions League during his hugely celebrated Liverpool reign.
Klopp joined Red Bull as their Head of Global Soccer at the start of 2025 and has repeatedly indicated he is not looking for another manager job.
Alonso, one of the best midfielders of his generation who won five trophies at Real Madrid as a player, enjoyed huge success during his first managerial stint at Bayer Leverkusen.
The ex-Spain international guided Leverkusen to an unprecedented unbeaten domestic double in 2024, with the German club winning their first ever Bundesliga title.
Much was expected of Alonso upon his Real Madrid return but his spell in charge lasted less than seven months.
As well as losing the Spanish Super Cup final, Real Madrid have fallen four points behind their arch-rivals in La Liga and lost two of their last three Champions League games.
Barcelona sporting director Deco was also ‘surprised’ by Real Madrid’s decision to axe Alonso.
‘The truth is that it surprised me,’ said Deco. ‘He hasn’t been there long, he’s basically just started.
‘They’re in the Champions League and only four points behind Barca in La Liga. But we know the impact that Barca-Madrid games have, they’re always complicated situations, and the coaches are the first to suffer.’
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