Real Madrid considering Wenger, Koeman and Laudrup for coach job

Photo: Real Madrid considering Wenger, Koeman and Laudrup for coach job

Real Madrid’s president Ramon Calderon said that club has considered to odder its coaching job to Arsene Wenger, Ronald Koeman or Michael Laudrup.

Calderon's comments added further fuel to press comments that Capello is likely on his way out of Madrid despite securing the league championship Sunday with a 3-1 win against Mallorca in the last game of the season.

Following the departure of stars like David Beckham and Roberto Carlos, Calderon said sports director Predrag Mijatovic will decide how to rebuild the team - including whether to find a new coach.

"Mijatovic talked to me about Wenger, Koeman and Laudrup" Calderon said at a news conference.

The Madrid president denied reports linking Getafe manager Bernd Schuster to the coaching job, and said the former Madrid defender was not yet on the club's acquisition list.

"Schuster is not there because he has a valid contract with another club. Should he resolve that situation then he could be on our list," Calderon said.

Calderon said he had always liked Schuster as a coach, and had suggested him last year as a replacement for Lopez Caro, who had a six-month spell in charge of Madrid after replacing Vanderlei Luxemburgo. Caro was replaced by Capello instead.

"Schuster seemed to me to be the ideal coach, but Mijatovic told me it was not Schuster's moment, he said it was Fabio Capello's moment," Calderon said.

Calderon said he still wants Madrid to sign AC Milan playmaker Kaka, if the two clubs can reach an agreement on the price.

"Milan is not going to make it easy for us, but I'd love to see this player in the Madrid squad," Calderon said. "Milan will want a very high sum and we would only be prepared to pay a reasonable amount."

However, Madrid wants to distance itself from the era of "Galactico" big name signings - headline-grabbing stars like Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Ronaldo and Beckham - because they made the club look arrogant, Calderon said.

Calderon said Madrid was in good financial health, with its income almost evenly divided between ticket and concession sales for matches at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, television deals and marketing its brand.

The club's revenue rose 16 percent to EUR343 million (US$459.5 million) during the 2006-2007 season, with operating income 37 percent to EUR80 million (US$107.2 million), Calderon said.

Calderon said Madrid had lost EUR10 million ($13.4 million) in fees from last year's bankruptcy of top sponsor Benq Corp., a Taiwanese telecommunications company. The club signed a contract with Austrian gambling operator BWIN instead.

Beckham is to join the Los Angeles Galaxy in July. Madrid stands to lose between EUR35 million (US$46.9 million) and EUR45 million (US$60.3 million) in annual revenue because of his departure, according to a study released Wednesday by the Barcelona-based International University of Catalonia.