Thibaut Courtois and Florentino Pérez woke up to bad news on Wednesday. Jürgen Klopp is the name of the day. He is going to take on a new role as global director of soccer at Red Bull and this has been an unexpected blow for Real Madrid. The club saw the German coach as one of the ideal candidates to replace Carlo Ancelotti in case the latter left the team at the end of the season.
The signing of Jürgen Klopp would not only have been a boost for the coaching staff. It would also have facilitated the arrival of a key player: Trent Alexander-Arnold. With Klopp out of the coaching staff and focused on his new role, Real Madrid are left without one of their best options. He is a player that the Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois dreamed of.
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Klopp had a close relationship with Alexander-Arnold dating back to his time at Liverpool. His arrival at Real Madrid was thought to have been key in attracting the English full-back to the club. However, with Klopp out of the equation, Barça could take the lead in the race to sign the player.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has shown interest in strengthening the right flank. With Klopp no longer a direct rival, Barça's options are strengthened. It should be noted that Arnold has always expressed his sympathy for Barça, a club he compares with Liverpool in terms of values. Also because of its good relationship with young players.
The fact that Klopp has decided to join Red Bull to manage teams such as RB Leipzig and RB Salzburg has come as a surprise. Although the manager had made it clear that he didn't plan to return to coaching immediately after leaving Liverpool, many thought that his future would remain tied to coaching. Instead, Klopp will take on a more strategic role, overseeing the development of new talents at Red Bull's franchises.
Jürgen Klopp with Hansi Flick, Barça's coach | Europa Press
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is now forced to look for other options. Although Ancelotti remains in charge, the Italian's future is not assured. With Klopp out of the race, the alternatives must be thoroughly analyzed. The lack of a clear replacement for Ancelotti adds pressure, especially as Real Madrid always seek to remain competitive at the highest level.
Barcelona, on their side, could benefit from this situation. The possibility of Alexander-Arnold ending up at Camp Nou is becoming more and more feasible, which would greatly strengthen the squad managed by Hansi Flick. This wouldn't only be a key reinforcement for Barça, but would also represent a major blow for Madrid. Laporta would steal one of the key targets in the transfer window from their great rival.
