Real Madrid Have 'Verbal Agreement' with Arbeloa as Alonso's Fate Hangs on Atlético Showdown

Real Madrid have already secured a contingency plan should Xabi Alonso's tenure at the Bernabéu come to an abrupt end. According to Spanish reports, the club have struck a verbal agreement with Álvaro Arbeloa, currently in charge of Real Madrid Castilla, to step into the top job if circumstances demand it.

The situation surrounding Alonso has grown increasingly precarious since his summer arrival as Carlo Ancelotti's successor. What was meant to be a fresh chapter has instead become a struggle, with the former Bayer Leverkusen chief presiding over a trophyless 2024/25 campaign and a stuttering start to the current season.

The numbers tell an uncomfortable story. Real Madrid sit four points adrift of La Liga pacesetters Barcelona and languish in seventh place in the Champions League standings—hardly the standard expected at the Spanish giants. More troubling for Alonso has been the reported breakdown in relationships within the squad, with particular tension between himself and Brazil winger Vinicius Junior.

According to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, the board have designated January as a make-or-break period. A Copa del Rey outing against Sevilla, coupled with another La Liga fixture, will be scrutinised closely. Yet there is one fixture that looms largest: the Spanish Super Cup clash with Atlético Madrid, which the club view as the ultimate litmus test.

The reasoning from Madrid's hierarchy is stark. The club believes Alonso has lost his grip on the dressing room—a situation they see as the beginning of the end for any manager. They are not seeking tactical overhaul but rather a restoration of discipline, competitive edge, and the collective commitment that has been eroded in recent months.

Arbeloa's appointment represents a bid for stability and order rather than revolution. He is the ready-made successor, the Plan B with paperwork already signed. Should Madrid stumble against Atlético in the Super Cup, expect the Alonso era to be consigned to history.

For now, the 43-year-old remains in position. But with every fixture that passes, the sword of Damocles hangs a little lower.