As Monterrey prepares for the&nbsp;2025 FIFA Club World Cup, the club finds itself in urgent need of new leadership following the recent departure of&nbsp;Martin Demichelis. With high-stakes fixtures ahead—including group stage matches against&nbsp;Inter, River Plate, and Urawa Reds—the Rayados board is moving swiftly to secure a replacement, and one name has emerged as a particularly intriguing candidate.



The Demichelis era came to an abrupt end after&nbsp;Monterrey’s early elimination in the Clausura 2025 quarter-finals&nbsp;at the hands of Toluca. His tenure, which began just last summer, spanned&nbsp;42 games&nbsp;and yielded a mixed record of&nbsp;20 wins, 11 draws, and 11 losses. Though the Argentine tactician arrived with promise, Monterrey’s inconsistency in Liga MX and lack of silverware proved costly.



The pressure is now on the club’s hierarchy to appoint a new head coach capable of guiding the team through a defining chapter in their history. With the international spotlight of the Club World Cup looming, the incoming manager must not only deliver results but also galvanize a squad that includes veterans like&nbsp;Sergio Ramos.



<h2>The World Cup winner with a global resume</h2>



Among the leading contenders is a coach with a glittering past:&nbsp;Fabio Cannavaro, the 2006 World Cup-winning captain of Italy and&nbsp;Ballon d’Or&nbsp;recipient, has become a frontrunner for the Rayados job. “Talks have taken place with Cannavaro, who is open to the challenge and intrigued by the idea of managing in Liga MX,”&nbsp;reported transfer expert&nbsp;Fabrizio Romano.



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Cannavaro, now&nbsp;51, has managed over&nbsp;200 matches&nbsp;across a career that includes spells in&nbsp;China,&nbsp;Saudi Arabia,&nbsp;Italy, and most recently&nbsp;Dinamo Zagreb, where he parted ways in April following a series of disappointing results. Despite a modest recent win record—just 12 wins from his last 37 matches—his name still carries global weight.



His&nbsp;coaching journey&nbsp;began in 2014 with&nbsp;Guangzhou Evergrande, where he won both the&nbsp;Chinese Super League&nbsp;and&nbsp;Chinese Super Cup. Later roles at&nbsp;Tianjin Quanjian,&nbsp;Al-Nassr,&nbsp;Benevento,&nbsp;Udinese, and the&nbsp;China national team&nbsp;have added to his diverse résumé.



Monterrey is reportedly prepared to meet Cannavaro’s salary expectations—estimated at around&nbsp;$5 million—and sees his leadership as a potential catalyst for renewed ambition.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="675" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20250514_WST_569758_fabio-cannavaro-1200x675_5ef302f0.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="fabio cannavaro" class="wp-image-569761" srcset="https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/05/14112925/fabio-cannavaro-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/05/14112925/fabio-cannavaro-300x169.jpg 300w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/05/14112925/fabio-cannavaro-768x432.jpg 768w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/05/14112925/fabio-cannavaro-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/05/14112925/fabio-cannavaro-740x416.jpg 740w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/05/14112925/fabio-cannavaro-490x275.jpg 490w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/05/14112925/fabio-cannavaro-250x140.jpg 250w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/05/14112925/fabio-cannavaro.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



<h2>Xavi also in the frame</h2>



But Cannavaro isn’t the only high-profile name on Monterrey’s radar.&nbsp;Xavi Hernandez, the legendary former&nbsp;Barcelona midfielder and coach, is also being seriously considered.



Having recently stepped down at Barca, Xavi is currently a free agent and open to new challenges. Monterrey views his possession-oriented style as a good match for their current squad, which includes technically gifted veterans such as&nbsp;Sergio Canales,&nbsp;Hector Moreno, and&nbsp;Sergio Ramos—the latter having shared a dressing room with Xavi for years in the Spanish national team.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="675" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20250514_WST_569758_sergio-ramos-xavi-1200x675_ca8d6e2d.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="sergio ramos xavi" class="wp-image-569762" srcset="https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/05/14112932/sergio-ramos-xavi-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/05/14112932/sergio-ramos-xavi-300x169.jpg 300w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/05/14112932/sergio-ramos-xavi-768x432.jpg 768w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/05/14112932/sergio-ramos-xavi-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/05/14112932/sergio-ramos-xavi-740x416.jpg 740w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/05/14112932/sergio-ramos-xavi-490x275.jpg 490w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/05/14112932/sergio-ramos-xavi-250x140.jpg 250w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/05/14112932/sergio-ramos-xavi.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



“The club believes Xavi’s style of play could seamlessly fit into a team built around experienced players capable of executing a sophisticated tactical plan,”&nbsp;a source close to Monterrey management told ESPN.



Moreover,&nbsp;Grupo FEMSA’s&nbsp;longstanding admiration for Xavi could help accelerate talks. While no formal negotiations have begun yet, interest is described as&nbsp;“genuine”, and Xavi is said to be&nbsp;“carefully considering”&nbsp;the offer.

Sergio Ramos awaits new Monterrey boss: World Cup winner and ex-Barcelona icon Xavi battle for prestigious Liga MX job

Sergio Ramos awaits new Monterrey boss: World Cup winner and ex-Barcelona icon Xavi battle for prestigious Liga MX job - World Soccer Talk

Monterrey’s coaching battle heats up: World Cup winner tops list to manage Ramos, Xavi also in the mix

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Last season’s <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/napoli-fans-erupt-as-club-wins-first-serie-a-title-in-33-years-20230505-WST-431763.html">Scudetto-winning side</a> of <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/napoli-tv-schedule-for-viewers-in-united-states/">Napoli</a> is flailing under Rudi Garcia. The French replacement for Luciano Spalletti has struggled in his first 12 league games at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. With six wins, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/napoli-draw-against-milan-with-stunning-second-half-comeback-20231029-WST-465803.html">three draws</a> and three losses, Napoli sits fourth in the Serie A table. It is 10 points adrift of Juventus, which leads the current table. 



As a result of the club’s struggles, Napoli President Aurelio de Laurentiis has already named potential replacements for the boss after three months in charge. Last season, Spalletti’s Napoli side only had four losses in the entire league season. Garcia’s Napoli has three losses, and it has dropped points in half of the games this season. 



<h2>A changing Napoli side</h2>



Garcia did have to deal with some changes to the squad that won the Scudetto with Spalletti. Kim Min-jae left for Bayern Munich, and the South Korean was a mainstay in the defense that conceded just 28 goals in Serie A play last season. This season, Napoli is already up to 13 goals against. Napoli’s incoming signings have not overly succeeded yet, either. The Italian side spent over $30 million on Jesper Lindstrom from Eintracht Frankfurt. The German attacking midfielder has made just one start, and he is yet to contribute a goal or assist to Napoli. 



Prior to this past weekend’s loss at home to Empoli, Rudi Garcia said he wanted to make supporters happy. However, his tactics have not suited last season’s elite players. Kvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen combined for 38 goals and 18 assists. An injury to Osimhen has forced the Nigerian out of six games after another strong start to the campaign. Osimhen had six goals in eight Serie A appearances before a hamstring injury sent him to the sidelines. Kvaratskhelia still has a decent seven goal contributions, but it is not the pace he was setting last season. Osimhen’s absence certainly hurts in that regard.



<h2>Naming another manager at Napoli to replace Rudi Garcia</h2>



When Napoli hired Rudi Garcia, de Laurentiis admitted the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/conte-rejects-napoli-unexpected-frontrunner-to-replace-garcia-20231012-WST-461752.html">Frenchman was not his first selection</a>. The <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/former-juventus-president-top-coaches-do-not-want-napoli-20231103-WST-467029.html">already-ruffled relationship</a> cannot bode well for Garcia’s confidence in a Napoli side ripe with expectations. Moreover, it may spell an early exit from the Italian club.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="675" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20231113_WST_469693_Cannavaro-de-Laurentiis-1200x675.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="" class="wp-image-469733" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/11/Cannavaro-de-Laurentiis-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/11/Cannavaro-de-Laurentiis-300x169.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/11/Cannavaro-de-Laurentiis-768x432.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/11/Cannavaro-de-Laurentiis.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure><figcaption>Fabio Cannavaro, pictured here with his brother Paolo, has been spotted in the President’s box with Aurelio de Laurentiis.</figcaption></figure>



If de Laurentiis sacks Garcia, there are several candidates he could bring in. One of the names circling the rumor mill is 2006 Ballon d’Or winner Fabio Cannavaro. According to the <a href="https://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Serie-A/Napoli/12-11-2023/napoli-chi-al-posto-di-garcia-fabio-cannavaro-tudor-e-mazzarri-fra-i-papabili.shtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gazzetta dello Sport</a>, Cannavaro has long sought after the manager role at Napoli. Cannavaro spent his youth career and four seasons at the senior level with Napoli. After moving away in 1995, he had spells with Inter Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid. He is the last defender to win the Ballon d’Or, doing so in 2006. 



Importantly, Cannavaro has a close relationship with the passionate de Laurentiis. The Italian executive would, therefore, have increased support for the former defender.



Another potential name is Igor Tudor. Recently, Tudor was the manager of Marseille. However, he parted ways with the French club when he cited his ‘tiredness’ with Marseille. He led the French outfit to a third-place finish in Ligue 1, which got it into the qualifying stages of the UEFA Champions League. The Croatian manager previously managed Udinese on two occasions and served as an assistant at Juventus.



Walter Mazzarri, who managed Napoli for a handful of seasons in the late 2000s, is the third name that could take over at the club. Gazzetta reports de Laurentiis is not overly fond of a previous manager coming back, though.



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Napoli readies replacements for outgoing manager Rudi Garcia

Last season's Scudetto-winning side of Napoli is flailing under Rudi Garcia, and the club could make a change just months into his regime.

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Monterrey’s coaching battle heats up: World Cup winner tops list to manage Ramos, Xavi also in the mix

Leagues: Serie A

Napoli readies replacements for outgoing manager Rudi Garcia