With Real Madrid now on course for a trophyless season, manager Carlo Ancelotti looks set to depart the club this summer, either by resignation, or a sacking from the hierarchy. He won’t be short of offers from other clubs given his impressive CV in management, but could it be Manchester City who make their intentions known the earliest?
“I don’t know if I will be here next season. We have 15 days left and two games. After that we will speak with the club. There is not much point talking about the future today,” said Ancelotti following Real’s Champions League exit on Wednesday night.
It’s clear the 55-year-old doesn’t believe he will be at the Santiago Bernabeu next season, and the La Liga giants have been known for their willingness to depart with coaches prematurely. Ancelotti was celebrating winning Real’s 10th European cup only 12 months ago, but now he looks destined for the sack after a trophyless campaign, with former midfielder and current assistant boss Zinedine Zidane expected to take charge of the club for 2015/16.
Manchester City are one club who could well set their stall out to convince the Italian boss to return to the Premier League. Ancelotti won the Premier League title with Chelsea in his stint in England, and has a track record of success in his past jobs, with a total of 17 trophies won as a manager.
Juventus: UEFA Intertoto Cup (1999)
AC Milan: UEFA Champions League (2002/03 & 2006/07), UEFA Super Cup (2003 & 2007), FIFA Club World Cup (2007), Serie A (2003/04), Coppa Italia (2002/03), Supercoppa Italiana (2004)
Chelsea: Premier League: 2009/10, FA Cup (2009/10), Community Shield (2009)
Paris Saint-Germain: Ligue 1 (2012/13)
Real Madrid: UEFA Champions League (2013/14), UEFA Super Cup (2014), FIFA Club World Cup (2014), Copa del Rey (2013/14)
Manchester City are considering a change in manager with incumbent Manuel Pellegrini having greatly underperformed with a strong squad of players. The Sky Blues’ failure in the Champions League has been a real bug bear with the hierarchy, who have parted with a lot of money to get no further to challenging the best teams in Europe. Seeing the likes of Atletico Madrid and Juventus reach the Champions League final last season and this summer respectively could lead the board to hire Ancelotti (five-time European cup winner as player and manager), who has a real affinity with the competition. There are few top-level managers likely to be available for appointment this summer.
Could Manchester City make Carlo Ancelotti their manager for next season?