Real Madrid is considered to be empty-handed this season after being eliminated from the Champions League by Bayern Munich after the quarter-finals. In the remaining arena, La Liga, they are 9 points behind their arch-rival Barcelona and may be defeated in this race in the El Clasico match on May 11.
At the Bernabeu stadium, the concept of "empty-handed" is unacceptable for owner Florentino Perez. Therefore, there will definitely be a major purge this summer with Alvaro Arbeloa being the first target. The young Spanish captain came to replace Xabi Alonso in a context where he does not have much real-world experience. Real Madrid under the hands of this former defender has had some good matches, but that frequency is too low, leading to losing momentum in all fronts.
Arbeloa will definitely leave his position and right now, some names have been targeted such as Jurgen Klopp, Zinedine Zidane or Didier Deschamps. The new name will be revealed possibly right before the 2026 World Cup to soon stabilize the situation.
Real Madrid is a team that owns up to 15 Champions League/Cúp C1/Champions League titles, so the pressure to have this title each season is extremely high, placing on the shoulders of any coach sitting in the hot seat at the Bernabeu. Anyone who comes to replace Arbeloa must prepare mentally immediately if they do not want to be sacked early.
In fact, a major change has been considered by Real Madrid leaders for quite a long time, not until they are eliminated as they are now. The two predecessors, Carlo Ancelotti and Xabi Alonso, both believe that the current squad is good enough but lacks balance. The balance here is the detail for how to operate the playing style and harmonize the big ego of the stars.
At this point in terms of personnel, Real Madrid must add more in the central midfielder, right-back, right-wing midfielder and center-back positions. This summer many people will leave, but to buy more and still ensure the business problem, Los Blancos may have to sell some stars, even a big star like Rodrygo to have more financial resources.
On the side of the board of directors, Real Madrid needs to add a new position of Sporting Director. This will mark a difference compared to the current operating style of the club, with General Director Jose Angel Sanchez, head of scouting department Juni Calafat and Florentino Perez himself (the person who made the final decision) responsible for recruiting players.
Former Real Madrid player and coach - Santiago Solari is currently holding that title but he has not had much power since taking on this role in 2022. His influence has declined even more recently.
The medical department, fitness experts,... also need to be paid attention to. Since 2023, Real Madrid has also been mired in medical crises with a high number of injuries, a major factor affecting Carlo Ancelotti's last season. Disagreements between the coaching staff and fitness coach Antonio Pintus, whom Perez always had absolute faith in, were common at that time.
When Xabi Alonso came from Bayer Leverkusen in May 2025, he brought his reliable fitness coach Ismael Camenforte. After that, the two sides agreed that Pintus would give up his role to Camenforte.
However, injury storms remained a problem under Alonso. Pintus returned to his position in the medical team shortly after Alonso was sacked. A few days before Alonso was sacked, another important change took place. Croatian doctor Niko Mihic, who was sidelined in November 2023, was reinstated as head of the medical department.
The position and power of owner Florentino Perez are also issues that need to be considered. Proposals for a potential new ownership structure at Real Madrid - a structure that allows external investment in the club for the first time in history - seem to have no significant progress since the "Godfather" announced that the club is considering it in November 2025. However, with the current stagnation, perhaps it will come very soon.
