Real Madrid Reportedly Delay Antonio Conte Appointment, Mauricio Pochettino Eyed

Real Madrid reportedly delayed appointing Antonio Conte as manager because the Italian came with transfer demands, while Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino is still being eyed as a long-term choice. 

Los Blancos confirmed Julen Lopetegui's sacking on Monday, and Castilla coach Santiago Solari took over in the interim. Marca (h/t Mirror's Thomas Bristow) reported Solari was picked ahead of Conte because the latter wanted a new central defender to employ his three-man defence at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Spurs manager Pochettino has long been rumoured as a target for Real, and John Cross of the Mirror reported he remains their top alternative to Conte after Lopetegui's departure was confirmed.

Conte has been out of a job since he left Chelsea in July, having finished fifth in the Premier League last season.

His tactics helped guide the Blues to the Premier League crown in the 2016-17 campaign, but Real's apparent hesitation to appoint the ex-Juventus man suggests they hold some reservations.

What's more, Belgian journalist Kristof Terreur made note of how Conte's selection as the next manager could end their hopes of landing Chelsea's Eden Hazard, who has long been on their radar:

Conte has been strict in his use of three centre-backs at past clubs, but it would be a drastic change for the reigning European champions, not to mention it faltered greatly in his most recent season as a manager.

Sports writer Andy West recently said he believed Solari was little more than a placeholder:

However, the last Castilla coach to take over the first team, Zinedine Zidane, went on to achieve great things in his tenure

Pochettino, 46, has another four-and-a-half years remaining on his contract at Tottenham, which expires in the summer of 2023 and makes him far more difficult to land than free-agent Conte, but Real are desperate.

His Spurs side lost 1-0 to defending Premier League champions Manchester City on Monday, a sign that this could be another season in which Spurs come close to major silverware but still miss out.

Gary Neville suggested on Sky Sports (h/t Evening Standard) that his exit is inevitable unless the title ambitions at Tottenham improve:

"Pochettino has always peddled the party line well. We know what Tottenham are like in terms of being quite conservative and pragmatic with spending and they do what they can, but he has always managed things well and pushed away questions about why can't you spend like other clubs do.

"Pochettino is a brilliant coach but at some point he was always going to want to manage one of the super clubs in Europe.

"There are a couple at the moment that you can imagine will be changing manager in the next 12 months and looking at him, and he will know they are looking at him."

Neville concluded: "It feels to me that he has laid the first foundations for a move away from the club and started to prepare the ground."

The Standard also highlighted Pochettino's recent comments that this was his "worst feeling" in a season as Tottenham manager despite their good start, which sees them sitting fifth in the Premier League.

The Argentinian previously managed Espanyol from January 2009 to January 2013, but it's his work since then at Southampton and Tottenham that has steadily built his reputation. According to Cross, Real president Florentino Perez is a big admirer of the Tottenham boss.

Despite Monday's loss to City, Jamie Carragher, still praised his work following a summer transfer window with no new arrivals:

Some shrewdness with signings is exactly what Real could use as they look to replace the missed figure of Cristiano Ronaldo—now at Juventus—having failed to do so over the summer.

Guardiola proved himself the superior tactician on Monday evening but was full of compliments for Spurs counterpart Pochettino in the build-up to their clash, via Goal:

Real now face a decision in whether to take a punt on ex-Italy chief Conte, who would cost a lot more to appoint than keep Solari for the remainder of the season—though putting faith in him carries risks also.