Arsenal took advantage after Real Madrid ‘ignored’ Xabi Alonso transfer request | Football | Sport

Xabi Alonso‘s troubled spell at Real Madrid has come to an end after merely seven months, with the Spanish giants deciding on a managerial shake-up – and from the outset he never enjoyed the complete backing of Florentino Perez. The Los Blancos supremo has never shied away from bold decisions and had Alonso put forward when searching for Carlo Ancelotti’s replacement.

The pair couldn’t have been more contrasting – one a tactician, the other a motivator – and the Real Madrid squad never fully embraced his approach. No marquee signings materialised during the summer window, with Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s free transfer perhaps the most noteworthy acquisition, yet Alonso saw one of his priority transfer targets rejected by the boardroom. He was eager to pursue Martin Zubimendi, the Spain international who has since found himself at Arsenal.

The midfielder had progressed through Real Sociedad’s academy system, much like Alonso himself, and was always destined for a summer departure. However, BBC Sport reveals that Real failed to pursue Alonso’s recommendation, enabling Arsenal to swoop in.

The 44-year-old was desperate for midfield reinforcement, but, having missed out on his primary objective in Zubimendi, he failed to secure anyone in that department.

The Gunners ace had previously expressed his respect for Alonso – had an approach materialised, the 26-year-old might well have pushed to work under a figure he has described as his “idol”.

He previously commented on Alonso: “I’ve always said that he was my idol and that for me it was a stroke of luck that he was able to coach me in the reserve team in a very important year. [But] I don’t like to talk about those hypotheses, I like to talk about the present.”

Zubimendi has netted three goals in 27 matches for Arsenal, aiding them in securing their position at the pinnacle of the Premier League and in the Champions League.

The defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final was the last straw for Alonso, who came to the Bernabeu with a burgeoning reputation after guiding Bayer Leverkusen to the Bundesliga title – astonishingly outperforming Bayern Munich along the way. He departs with Real still in contention, but trailing their fierce rivals by four points.

Speculation has long suggested that Alonso could eventually make his way to the Premier League. He was once tipped to succeed Jurgen Klopp at Anfield before the club chose Arne Slot.

Manchester United are currently appointing an interim manager in Michael Carrick, while Thomas Frank is facing mounting pressure at Tottenham.