Real Sociedad officially announced on Thursday that Imanol Alguacil, 53, will step down as head coach at the end of this season. The decision was made by Alguacil and has been officially notified to the club.

According to Relevo and other media reports, Alguacil has been hesitant between renewing his contract and leaving. The trigger for him to give up the contract renewal was that Real Sociedad had not won three consecutive league games: after losing 0-1 to Alaves yesterday, Alguacil believed that his coaching cycle had come to an end and he did not want to become an obstacle to the team's development. He also hoped to bid farewell to the club in a decent way, so as to maintain the emotional bond and personal reputation that the two sides had established over the years.

Real Sociedad's negative attitude towards Alguacil's stay or departure also accelerated his decision to leave. Relevo pointed out that Alguacil was not Real Sociedad's first choice as coach, even though they had offered him a contract extension. In fact, the club's management preferred to introduce Xabi Alonso, but continued to maintain the existing structure only out of pressure for performance.

Alguacil's departure marks the end of an era for Real Sociedad. As a product of Real Sociedad's youth training, Alguacil played for the Blue and Whites for eight years as a player, making 130 appearances, scoring seven goals and providing one assist. After retiring, he returned to Real Sociedad to work in youth training, and in December 2018, he succeeded Asier Garitano as the first team coach.

After six and a half seasons at Real Sociedad, Alguacil became the second longest-serving coach in La Liga. During Alguacil's tenure, Real Sociedad achieved a total of 152 wins, 81 draws and 92 losses, qualified for European competitions for five consecutive years, and won the Copa del Rey again in the 2019/20 season after a lapse of 34 years.

However, Real Sociedad failed to maintain its stable performance in previous years due to the loss of many key players this season. As of the 33rd round of La Liga, they ranked 10th in La Liga with 12 wins, 6 draws and 15 losses, and their European prospects are precarious. As for the cup competitions, Real Sociedad was defeated by Manchester United 5-2 and stopped in the 1/8 finals of the Europa League. On April 1, they lost to Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the King's Cup with a total score of 4-5.