Real Madrid's head coach Son Heung-min, ESPN, "The president fell in love... "Pochettino is likely to be appointed"

*This content was translated by AI.

It is a big twist. Real Madrid has emerged as a strong candidate to take the helm of its new team in the next season, Mauricio Pochettino (54), former coach of the U.S. national soccer team and a silver lining when Son Heung-min (34) was playing for Tottenham Hotspur.

"Real Madrid included Pochettino on the list of candidates to replace coach Arbeloa next season," US sports media ESPN reported on the 10th (Korea Standard Time).

Real Madrid's leadership is planning a major change this summer, the media said. "We have already begun searching for the next coach."

Pochettino, who is leading the U.S. national team, is reportedly highly regarded by Real Madrid President Florentino Perez. In particular, "ESPN" added, "Real Madrid highly values Pochettino because he has coached Kylian Mbappe for two seasons during the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and lifted three trophies together, including the French League 1."

Arbeloa, who took the helm after Xavi Alonso in January, will step down as Real Madrid coach after this season. According to "ESPN," manager Arbeloa is known to be unlikely to remain in office unless the miracle of winning the Champions League occurs. It is understood that the club is already considering proposing to Arbeloa to return to other positions within the club or as a manager of the youth team instead of replacing him.

It is not just the managerial position that is at stake. Real Madrid is expected to make a major reshuffle with the appointment of Pochettino. According to ESPN, senior scout Juni Calafat's position is also faltering, having discovered stars such as Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham. Despite investing more than 170 million pounds (about 336.3 billion won) last summer, the performance of freshmen such as Dean Haesun and Trent Alexander-Arnold did not meet expectations.

Meanwhile, in addition to Pochettino, Jurgen Klopp, Unai Emery and Masimiliano Allegri are mentioned as candidates for Real Madrid's next head coach. President Perez's biggest desire is known to be the return of Zinedine Zidane, but Zidane has already agreed to take the helm of the French national team after the 2026 North-China World Cup. Therefore, the possibility of Pochettino, Son Heung-min's gift, taking over as Real Madrid's coach is putting more weight on it.

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*This content was translated by AI.