Real Madrid keep 50-year-old manager as priority ahead of Thomas Tuchel as potential replacement for Carlo Ancelotti - Reports

European champions Real Madrid wish to bring in Mauricio Pochettino if Carlo Ancelotti is dismissed this summer, Spanish outlet Sport has reported. It has been claimed that the Argentine manager is above Thomas Tuchel and even Zinedine Zidane on Los Blancos’ list of potential candidates.

Ancelotti guided Real Madrid to their 14th Champions League trophy, 35th La Liga title, and 14th Spanish Super Cup at the end of last season. A lot has changed in the last seven months, with the club conceding the Spanish Super Cup to Barcelona and losing ground in the La Liga race. The Whites, who have lacked a cutting edge this season, find themselves eight points off league leaders Barcelona with a game in hand.

Real Madrid are impatient when it comes to results, and it is believed that Ancelotti could be dismissed in the summer if he oversees a trophyless campaign. According to the aforementioned source, the club already have potential candidates in mind.

It has been reported that Pochettino, 50, would be Madrid’s first pick if Ancelotti is dismissed. Former Chelsea boss Tuchel and three-peat-winning manager Zidane are below Pochettino on the Whites’ list.

Pochettino, who has been out of a job since being dismissed by Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) last summer, has an excellent track record when it comes to player development. During his five-year spell, the Argentine mastermind firmly established Tottenham Hotspur as a Premier League biggie despite the club’s lack of spending power.

Given the plethora of talented youngsters Madrid have in their ranks, they could find Pochettino to be the right man for their development.

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"We did not address the January market because we did not need to" - Carlo Ancelotti insists Real Madrid are in good shape

Despite lacking cover for Karim Benzema and the recently injured Ferland Mendy, Carlo Ancelotti has insisted that his team is in excellent shape. The Italian manager claimed that only teams that did not prepare well in the summer needed to go to the market in January.

Speaking to the press on Wednesday, Ancelotti said (via Sportstar):

“We did not address the (January) market because we did not need to. If you do your planning well, you do not need to go to the market (in January).

“If you have to address the market, it means that something went wrong. We thought that we didn’t need to... because we see our squad in good shape.”

Real Madrid, who were held to a goalless draw by Real Sociedad in their previous outing, will return to action with a clash against Valencia in La Liga on February 2.