At a glance
- Jose Mourinho is Real Madrid president Florentino Perez’s preferred candidate to become head coach next season.
- Alvaro Arbeloa is therefore likely to be dismissed.
- Arbeloa replaced Xabi Alonso in January, but Madrid are currently closing in on a second consecutive season without major silverware.
Jose Mourinho is Real Madrid President Florentino Perez‘s preferred candidate to take over the head coach hotseat according to The Athletic.
The first team is currently led by Alvaro Arbeloa, who replaced a former colleague under Mourinho in the 2010s, Xabi Alonso.
Alonso was fired as a reaction to January’s Spanish Super Cup final against FC Barcelona. Yet there had been reports of him also clashing with players such as Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham over his strict training methods.
Arbeloa seems to have had the Bernabeu’s stars back onside. But the fact that Madrid are closing in on a second season without major silverware means changes are likely to be rung.
These could range from everything to chief scout Juni Calafat up to Arbeloa to the manager. Above all, this means Madrid will have a fourth different leader in the dugout since summer last year.
Mourinho return isn’t universally supported
According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Mourinho’s potential second stint in the Spanish capital doesn’t have uniform backing on the board.
With Perez championing the Portuguese’s return, however, it might be his word that is the last. At present, Mourinho has a €3 million break clause in his Benfica deal.
Mourinho of course broke up the dominance of Pep Guardiola’s FC Barcelona team in the early 2010s. If employed once again, he’d be charged with a similar assignment.
Barca are closing in on their second straight La Liga crown. If they beat Madrid in El Clasico on May 10, that’ll make it three in four years.
Mourinho’s heyday was a long time ago. There’s been impressive work in recent years such as winning the Conference League with Roma. Yet this is a different level entirely.
Mourinho’s work at Galatasaray ended on a sour note, and Benfica are currently unlikely to win the Portuguese Liga trailing Porto by seven points with three fixtures to spare.
Madrid legend Guti argued at the weekend that Mourinho isn’t in his “prime” anymore. Many others would agree, but maybe he’ll have one last chance to prove it at the top table.
