Laudrup's agent denies Real Madrid have been in touch
Danish site ekstrabladet.dk published statements, now denied, from Bayram Tutumlu, saying that Laudrup was a candidate for the Real Madrid job.
The shock news that Zidane is leaving Real Madrid, broken yesterday by the manager himself in a hurriedly organised press conference, has sent the rumour mill into overdrive about the future coach of the club.
The main names being mentioned for the role are Allegri, Pochettino, Conte, Klopp, Löw… the elite level coaches of world football, even though many of them are under contract, or have already ruled themselves out.
There’s no doubt Florentino Pérez has already drawn up his own short list and is putting feelers out into the market for the man to take over from three-times Champions League winning (in just two and a half years) Zidane.
But there’s one name that needs to be added to the list of potential Real Madrid coaches: Michael Laudrup. Mainly because his agent, Bayram Tutumlu, was quoted on the Danish website ekstrabladet.dk as saying: “I’ve been in touch with people from the club and he’s a candidate for the post”.
However, just hours after ekstrabladet.dk published the story, the agent Bayram Tutumlu denied that was the situation, on Twitter.
Laudrup, who played at the club between 1994 and 1996, though said: “There are already names, and no doubt there’ll be lots of them, on the table for the Real Madrid job. It’s possible I’m one of them, and it’s always good to know you’re being mentioned for a job…”
Laudrup available for Real Madrid
Laudrup has said he’s going to take a rest, once his contract with Qatar side Al-Rayyan, who he has coached since 2016, expires. Meaning he will be available if the call from Real Madrid comes in. Laudrup has a similar personal profile to Zidane, although if he is chosen he’d be taking over with more experience than Zidane did when he took over. Laudrup knows the Spanish Liga inside out and also has vital first hand experience of the Real Madrid dressing room and it’s particular requirements.
Laudrup started his career as a coach in his own country, at Brondby, which he coached from 2002 to 2006. In 2007, Ángel Torres, president of Getafe, gave him the opportunity to take over a top flight Spanish side and he took the team, in the 2007-08 season , to 14th. From Spain he made the leap to Russia to coach Spartak Moscow. In 2010 he returned to Spain and took over at Mallorca, with the side being relegated to the Segunda. In 2012 he went to the Premier to coach Swansea, where he was until 2014. That same year he went to Qatar to coach Lekhwiya SC, for a year and from 2016 till now he has been in charge at Al-Rayyan.
