Tiago Pinto, Bournemouth’s president of football operations, has made a striking claim about Dean Huijsen’s long-term potential at Real Madrid. Pinto told MARCA: “I’ll give you a headline: For me, he’s the only center back who can win the Ballon d’Or. That’s what I think of Dean Huijsen.”

Pinto expanded on the attributes that convince him: “He plays with his right foot, with his left … He’s tall, he scores goals and he has spectacular technique. I insist, for me, of the players I know, he’s the only central defender who can win the Ballon d’Or.” He added a note of perspective on development at a major club: “You can’t expect them to ‘devour’ Real Madrid in six months. They’re a huge club. They have to learn and develop other things.”

Huijsen, 20, arrived in Madrid on a five-year contract and made his debut one month after signing when Real Madrid were competing at the Club World Cup. He began the season positively under Xabi Alonso but experienced a drop in form in October and missed continuity through a run of injuries. He has since accumulated 26 appearances in a white shirt, including his first Clásico and a Madrid derby.

The Spaniard’s fitness issues have been candidly acknowledged by the player. “I’ve had quite a few injuries lately and I finally feel physically fit,” Huijsen told Movistar+ after Real Madrid’s 6–1 rout over Monaco. “I’ve been playing injured for two or three months, unable to sprint properly. I’m happy to feel good because the level I was playing at wasn’t my best.”

Huijsen returned from injury in the Spanish Super Cup final against Barcelona and was judged the worst defender on the pitch. One week later, against Levante, new boss Álvaro Arbeloa substituted him after 60 minutes. More recently he produced a strong display against Monaco, suggesting a regain of form as he continues to adapt to life at Real Madrid and the expectations that come with the move.

Xabi Alonso plans to step away from management for a period following his departure from Real Madrid, while remaining open to managing in the Premier League when he returns. The immediate priority for Alonso is to rest for the next few months and reassess options at the end of the season.

Alonso’s exit from Madrid has kept his name in the headlines. That news arrived just days after Manchester United dismissed Ruben Amorim, and while Tottenham Hotspur continue to consider the future of Thomas Frank. The Times notes that Alonso would be interested in testing himself in England’s top flight, but that any move will have to wait.

If Alonso is serious about a return to the Premier League, his current unemployment coincides with a number of potential openings. Manchester United will need a new manager at the end of the season and are likely to consider coaches of Alonso’s pedigree. There are a handful of high-profile positions that could become available in the coming months.

Thomas Frank remains under scrutiny at Spurs as he fights for his future. Liverpool, Alonso’s former employers, are also likely to monitor the situation. The club initially turned to Alonso before appointing Arne Slot in the summer of 2024. Slot’s Reds have underwhelmed this season, and although the Dutchman’s job is not thought to be in immediate peril, a disappointing end to the campaign could prompt Liverpool to consider a change.

For now, Alonso intends to prioritise a break from the demands of management. Any return to the Premier League is being framed as a future option rather than an immediate next step.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot described Xabi Alonso’s rapid departure from Real Madrid as unusual and cautioned against treating it as proof of a new era in football appointments. Slot argued that the distinction between a manager and a head coach is already established on the continent and noted the shared hierarchy in modern clubs. Both operate under the authority of the club’s CEO of football, Michael Edwards.

Real Madrid appointed Alonso as their coach in May and he lasted fewer than eight months in the role. Slot argued this quick dismissal should be seen as an outlier. “This is not common for Real Madrid that a manager is sacked—or whatever word you want to use—that a manager is sacked so early in his career,” he argued. “Let’s see if this is constantly going to happen but I think there are other examples as well.”

Alonso managed 34 matches before his exit. The figure places him above a handful of short-term predecessors; as many as seven Real Madrid managers this century have taken charge of fewer matches than the former Liverpool midfielder.

Asked whether the departures of figures such as Enzo Maresca at Chelsea and Ruben Amorim at Manchester United signalled that head coaches now carry less authority, Slot pushed back. He pointed to his own record and to long-serving men elsewhere in the game. “I have worked for three years at my first club, should have worked four years at my second club, worked three years at my third club and now here for one-and-a-half years,” he told assembled reporters.

“The clubs you are mentioning [Chelsea, Man Utd and Real Madrid], we know with one of these clubs what kind of history they have. So I don’t know if it has changed.

“I see some managers working a long time at a club and one of our rivals has a manager [Pep Guardiola at Manchester City] who has been working for a long time. Mikel Arteta has been working for a long time at Arsenal.

“I think there will always be examples of managers who work a long time at a club and clubs where managers don’t work for a long time. But Carlo Ancelotti was a long time at Real Madrid?

“In England there is a manager and head coach and in other countries it is usually a head coach,” Slot added. “Like I said Ancelotti worked for a long time at Madrid and other managers did as well.”

Slot’s comments come amid a period of mixed results for Liverpool: an unbeaten run of 12 matches that contains an unusually high share of draws, which represents an improvement on the run of nine defeats in 12 games earlier in the season. The manager also acknowledged the practical context in which he retained his post, noting the limited availability of alternatives at that time.