Real Madrid president Florentino Perez deeply regrets delaying the dismissal of Xabi Alonso, as well as choosing Alvaro Arbeloa as his successor. However, contrary to recent reports in the Spanish media, he does not intend to make sweeping changes during the upcoming summer transfer window.
The Royal Club is on the verge of ending the season trophyless for the second consecutive year, sparking a wave of anger towards Perez’s management. A new report from the newspaper “ABC” reveals the president’s plans to get things back on track at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Perez Regrets Alonso and Arbeloa Choices
Perez believes he delayed dismissing Xabi Alonso for too long. The former Bayer Leverkusen coach should have left immediately after the defeat against Celta Vigo in December, and before the start of the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia last January.
Indeed, Pérez wanted to sack Alonso after the Celta Vigo match, but CEO José Ángel Sánchez intervened and convinced him to keep the coach until the Super Cup. Ultimately, Sánchez’s hopes of turning things around were dashed; in fact, things worsened, especially after numerous disagreements with the dressing room.
Pérez considers this delay one of the reasons for the Spanish Super Cup loss, but at the same time, appointing Arbeloa, who lacked experience in La Liga and European competitions, was also a poor decision in the Real Madrid president’s view.
Pérez regrets his choices for the coaching position, and on the other hand, he takes full responsibility because he made both decisions. Regardless of the advice of those around him, he should have assessed the situation more accurately to avoid a disastrous season like the one Real Madrid is currently experiencing.
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Perez doesn’t hold Real Madrid players responsible
In the same vein, Perez doesn’t hold Real Madrid players responsible for this season. Instead, he sees the appointments of Alonso and Arbeloa as the reason for the collapse, not the players’ performance or lack of quality.
Perez believes the current squad has enough quality to play better, and this could have happened if Real Madrid had a different coach capable of getting the best out of these players, as was the case with Carlo Ancelotti in recent years.
Based on this, Perez completely absolves Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe of blame for this season’s events and plans for the duo to lead the team next season. Hence the desire to renew the Brazilian international’s contract and keep him beyond 2027.
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No summer overhaul at Real Madrid
Contrary to expectations, Perez doesn’t intend to make any major summer signings. He will only focus on strengthening the midfield and defense while maintaining the current core and giving them confidence by bringing in a new coach who can work with the existing squad.
The club’s long-serving president believes Real Madrid currently needs a new midfielder to fill the void left by the departures of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, as well as a central defender to secure the position for years to come, given David Alaba’s exit and the potential departure of Antonio Rüdiger.
Real Madrid also needs a few minor adjustments, such as re-signing Nico Paz and Víctor Muñoz, bringing back Andrić from his loan spell at Lyon, loaning out Franco Mastantonu due to his consistent playing time, and selling Gonzalo García with a buy-back clause.
These steps are ultimately simple and won’t cost Real Madrid much, confirming that all the talk about a complete overhaul, including player sales and acquisitions, is merely speculation in the press and has no basis in reality.
