..... wants transfer of Chelsea star as first Real Madrid signing – and it’s not Eden Hazard.
Real Madrid have now confirmed that they have sacked Santiago Solari as the club's manager and they have also announced the appointment of Zinedine.
According to Zidane "the president called me and I'm here because I love him and Real Madrid".
Full control of transfers & the best coach's wage in world football are also part of the reasons why Zidane agreed to return to Real Madrid
It didn't look likely, but the Frenchman was eventually convinced to return to his former post.
What seemed an impossibility not so long ago has come to fruition after the work president Florentino Perez put in to convince the French legend to return.
The relationship between the pair has always been special. They admire each other, with Real Madrid their shared passion, and it is that passion that sees the three-time Champions League-winning coach once again grace the dugout in Spain's capital after just eights months away.
What seemed like the ideal option for the club has become a reality, but the great respect and relationship that Perez and Zidane have is not the only reason the latter was convinced to take the job once again.
The main condition on which Zidane's return hinged upon was power. Goal has learned that the iconic boss will have full power over the management of the first team – that is to say that he will have control over both arrivals and sales of personnel.
In modern football as a whole, never mind at the game's biggest superpower, handing that kind of responsibility to a coach is unprecedented.
Unprecedented, but necessary in this case. Part of the reason Zidane left in June was that he could only make minor tweaks to the squad rather than drastic changes. If Madrid want to win again, they need to make those changes and the right man to administer them.
To command a dressing room of huge egos a coach needs not only a voice, but a voice backed by the Bernabeu's board. Zidane has such backing this time around.
In addition, Zidane's power will be further consolidated by becoming the highest paid coach in world football, Goal can confirm.
Given his incredible CV and legacy at the club, a Galactico wage for a Galactico manager appears no less than he deserves as he put pen to paper on a deal that stretches until 2022.
Zidane was always the first choice to replace Solari at an ailing Madrid side and, at boardroom level, his return is seen as the best news in an otherwise disastrous season.
<-- The President himself called--->
Zidane: The president called me and I'm here because I love him and Real Madrid
" Return? It is a special day for everyone. I am very happy to be back at home. I want to work hard to help the club get back to where it deserves to be. I have a good feeling about this return. We won everything so it's clear that we needed a change. It's been 8 months since I left Real, I am now ready to get back to work. I won a lot here but I also learned a lot from my mistakes. We have 11 la Liga games to go so we want to finish off the season on a high note. Departure? It was the time for me to leave after all of these victories. Many other clubs called me but I turned them down since I only wanted to return to Real Madrid. Ronaldo? It is not the moment to talk about a Ronaldo return. Let's see what happens next year but for now we have to focus on the pitch...". More to come on the matter...
-- A new Project --
Surrounded by club legends and former teammates, including Raul and Roberto Carlos, he was joined by the board of directors and his wife Veronique.
"It's a new project, an exciting new era with one of our great symbols leading, Zinedine Zidane," club president Florentino Perez began.
"The best coach in the world is here, thank you Zizou for your loyalty and forming part of this legendary club."
The newly appointed coach then had his turn, revealing his emotions on a day which few expected to come so soon.
"I know it's a special day, for everyone, I'm very happy, which is the most important thing, as the president said, I'm very happy to return home," Zidane explained.
"There's nothing to say, I'm very happy to return and I want to work and put the club where it deserves to be, for now I'm focused on training tomorrow."
Zidane has not been far away from the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, even though he left last summer.
"I didn't go very far, because I still live here, but I'm happy to work for this club and this squad, above all," he added.
However, there were also inevitable questions about what had changed in the past months.
"I left the club because I needed it, not the time for the club, but the squad needed it after winning it all," he said.
"This club is what it has and it had to change.
"I've come back because the president called me and as I love the president and the club, I'm here.
"After eight months, I want to coach again, I took this decision for the good of everyone, we had to make a change."
He admitted that it was a big responsibility to take up the role, though hinting that he did take some convincing.
"It's a big responsibility, when I look at the players I see people who love this club and I'm another one," he confessed.
"I like football, I played with this badge and this shirt, but I'm just another one.
"Now what I want to do, I don't forget what we won but also what we did badly, or last year, we lost the league and the cup but won the Champions League.
"Life is like that, good things and bad."
Facing the future, it looks like Zidane could plan to make changes.
"It's a great challenge, not because it's the second time, but that too," he admitted.
"I don't think about the past, if I did I wouldn't have returned.
"It goes beyond returning to the club, I want to take the reigns on this second project, I want to coach again.
"I'm not thinking about signings, I'm thinking it's an important day and I'm happy to return.
"I'm only thinking about the 11 games left.
"There will be time to look at the rest with the relevant people, what's clear is that we will plan for next season."
One key absence, who some say is yet to be replaced, is the exit of Cristiano Ronaldo.
"It's not the topic, the topic is that there are 11 games left, you know what Cristiano is, the history of this club, which no-one will change, he was the best, but he's not the topic," he insisted.
Still, the coach was adamant that he had returned at the perfect time despite having been approached by other clubs.
"I had a number of offers, but I didn't want to go to other clubs, we have to finish this season well and prepare well for the next one," he admitted.
Zidane admitted to having rested well over his break and is now raring to go with the same team of coaches after receiving the call.
"The president called me, I can't say no to him, after what happened, he knows, what happens to players, coaches, what happens inside when you lose form, this year it's happened to us," he analysed.
"I was a coach and it happened to me.
"I want to be with them, I have seen this season, the players are the first who know it's a difficult season, but you can't always do things well and always win."
Regarding the situations of some specific players, such as Isco, Marcelo and Gareth Bale, Zidane would not be drawn.
"I won't get involved with what happened with one or the other," he responded. "I want to get back with them, work and do things well on Saturday."
Zidane's new era will begin against Celta Vigo on Saturday.
<-- Immediate transfer of Chelsea star --->
Zinedine Zidane wants transfer of Chelsea star as first Real Madrid signing – and it’s not Eden Hazard.
Real Madrid’s new manager Zinedine Zidane reportedly wants the transfer of Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante as his first summer signing.
It could be a very worrying summer indeed for the Blues after Zidane’s appointment at the Bernabeu, with the Guardian among the sources to link contract rebel Eden Hazard with Real Madrid in the recent past.
Zidane has also been quoted by Sky Sports in the past as describing the Belgium international as his favourite player after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
However, it seems Kante is now a priority for the French tactician, according to journalist Nicolo Schira on Twitter:
Kante could clearly do a job at Madrid, with Casemiro not looking at his best this season, while he could also be seen as an upgrade on Luka Modric and Toni Kroos in the middle of the park.
The France international has endured a frustrating season at Stamford Bridge, with Maurizio Sarri often playing him out of position in a more attacking role.
It remains to be seen if Hazard could end up on Real’s radar again, with the Independent suggesting he’s one of a number of attacking targets the club have in mind for a major overhaul, along with the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
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