It almost feels a little criminal writing this as Julen Lopetegui still occupies the Real Madrid hot seat.
However, by Real’s lofty standards, the current predicament is quite frankly an embarrassment and despite only accepting the Los Blancos job prior to the World Cup, there is a sense that the former Spain head coach will be departing the club sooner rather than later.
Ahead of the iconic El Clasico, Real Madrid sit seventh in the table with just four wins from their opening nine games.
Remarkably, this puts Lopetegui’s side behind the likes of Espanyol, Alaves and even Real Valladolid.
Despite this, Real are still only four points off the top so perhaps it is not all bad as no side has won more than five games this season.
But it seems it will not be good enough to keep the 52-year-old in the hot seat for long even though a five-match winless run came to an end in the Champions League mid-week against Viktoria Plzeň.
How ironic it seems now that last season Zinedine Zidane came under severe pressure despite challenging on all fronts and oh how he is probably enjoying his fine wine with a wry smile.
The same may go for Cristiano Ronaldo who left at the end of last season to join Juventus who now look capable of conquering all.
Due to the endless claims Lopetegui is soon to be axed, sites such as http://betfc.co.uk/ are able to give us insight into who may take over should the P45 soon find itself in the post.
Antonio Conte
Former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte appears to be the favourite despite rumours that another attempt to get Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino’s signature is picking up pace.
The 49-year-old is a free agent after leaving the Blues in the summer but due to his relationship with Real Madrid transfer target, it is likely if Conte does get the Real job, any deal for Hazard will be ended.
Santiago Solari
Real Madrid B manager Santiago Solari is well in the running should the axe fall sooner rather than later.
The Argentine has been in charge of the B team since 2016 and viewed as future first team boss although perhaps now would be considered too soon.
Mauricio Pochettino
The current Spur’s boss does appear to be the Real Madrid hierarchies favourite but due to his contract with Spurs, would prove to be an expense quest for Real.
Daniel Levy will hardly let Pochettino leave for nothing and rightly so, so a cheaper quicker option may have to be on the cards at least for the short term.
Arsene Wenger
Ten years ago one would have said former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was made for Real Madrid but as time has passed on, so has his realistic chances of becoming a long-term Bernabeu boss.
That is not to say that he would not be the perfect stand-in at least until the end of the season and would also provide a seamless transition into the club.
