4 Potential replacements for Lopetegui if Real Madrid decides to part ways

#1 Antonio Conte

Conte achieved great success at Chelsea and Juventus

Another one who finds himself out of a job after being sacked by Chelsea in the summer, the Italian is one of the premier tacticians in the world and has the requisite CV to manage a club like Real Madrid.

The 49-year-old began his coaching career in his native Italy and made a name for himself at first Atalanta, then Siena who he guided back to Serie A at the first attempt before being appointed by his former club Juventus in 2011.

The Bianconerri had been struggling since their promotion to the top level after being relegated in 2006 for their complicity on the Calciopolli scandal.

In his first season, he totally reinvented the club, and helped the Old Lady to win its first league title in almost a decade, which they achieved without losing a match (becoming the first team to finish a season unbeaten since the Serie A expanded to a 38-game, 20 team league).

He introduced a 3-5-2 system of playing which brought out the best of midfielders like Andrea Pirlo and Paul Pogba.

Conte departed Juventus after four years of utter dominance in which he established the club as the undisputed best in Italy, leading it to four consecutive league titles in each of the seasons he managed the club.

He was appointed as Chelsea manager in 2016, and despite widespread cynicism to his system due to its unmitigated failures in the past, he successfully implemented the three at the back formation, with which Chelsea became an almost unstoppable force, and won the league in record-breaking fashion.

His system of play was seen as so successful, that he helped usher in a new 'philosophy', with no fewer than 16 Premier League clubs, as well as the England national team going on to attempt this playing pattern. Not bad for a formation which was classified DOA just a year prior.

Falling outs with the board and players meant that Conte was on a short lease, it therefore cane as no surprise when his contract was terminated by the club in June.

However, Conte's tenure at Chelsea has to be classified as a success, while his innovative system would forever immortalize him in the annals of Premier League management.

He is currently locked in a severance dispute with the London club, but this would not deter Real Madrid from going after him, as the club has reportedly listed him as the top priority replacement for Julen Lopetegui in the event that they decide to terminate his contract, which will come as good news to Chelsea owner, as it would reduce the amount of his severance payment.