His problems at Real Madrid weren’t a recent development; they extended much further back, specifically to the moment the coach arrived at the Santiago Bernabéu and discussed potential signings with the board during the previous summer transfer window.
According to the newspaper AS, Alonso believed a new midfielder with similar qualities was needed to replace Toni Kroos, a suggestion Florentino Pérez’s administration disagreed with.
Alonso explicitly urged Real Madrid to sign Martin Zubimendi, the Real Sociedad star, even going so far as to speak with his agent, trying to persuade him to delay accepting Arsenal’s offer until Real Madrid entered the race.
Zubimendi agreed to wait a few days, hoping for a call from Real Madrid. However, surprisingly, Pérez’s administration remained inactive and made no significant move, ultimately leading to the player’s transfer to Arsenal and Alonso losing his initial goal of signing a midfield maestro.
At that point, Alonso expressed his frustration with Real Madrid’s inaction in securing his desired signing. He also told his coaching staff that the four players on his shortlist (Tchouaméni, Camavinga, Bellingham, and Valverde) lacked the necessary qualities to implement his vision, making the failure to sign Zubimendi a premature declaration of his project’s failure at the Bernabéu.
Months later, Real Madrid’s management realized they should have acted and signed a midfielder. Between this initial inaction and eventual realization, Alonso explored various options, but to no avail. Ultimately, his dismissal brought an end to his relationship with Los Blancos.
