5 managers who could replace Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid

#1 Mauricio Pochettino

Mauricio Pochettino led Tottenham to a victory over Madrid just a few days ago

Even before the news of the increasing pressure on Zinedine Zidane broke out, there were rumours circulating on the Real Madrid Chairman Fiorentino Perez sniffing around at Tottenham Hotspur checking on the availability of Pochettino.

The Argentine has excelled in the Premier League since joining from Southampton in 2014, and has transformed Tottenham Hotspur from an upper mid-table side to Champions League regulars.

Pochettino has shown no sign of leaving the North London club anytime soon but has expressed an interest in talking about managing other sides in the future.

His head could be tempted by the stature and size of Real Madrid. Known to play attacking football and promoting younger local talent, Pochettino could give the younger players at Real Madrid a huge boost and add a local flavour the supporters so desperately cling on to.

Their love for Raul and Casillas in the recent past is a great example of the bond Real Madrid supporters share with local players.

A very important factor that works towards the Argentine is his prior experience in Spain, having managed Espanyol for three seasons apart from spending many years as a player for the Barcelona based club.

He is fluent in Spanish and is fairly young and comes with enough experience as well, making him an ideal candidate. He also recently guided his Spurs side to a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu in the Champions League and beat Borussia Dortmund to top the group to top the group.

Even better, he beat Madrid 3-1 at the Wembley Stadium in the latest set of Champions League fixtures and that is bound to put him in serious contention.