Jose Mourinho is emerging as a genuine contender for the Real Madrid job next season, according to reports in Portugal.
It is now expected that Madrid will dispense with Alvaro Arbeloa following his struggles that have seen the club slip nine points behind Barcelona in the Liga title race and exit the Champions League at the quarter-final stage after home and away defeats to Bayern Munich.
It means Madrid will be at a crossroads once again and searching for another coach. The profile they are seeking is different to 12 months ago when, following the departure of Carlo Ancelotti, they chose a more progressive coach in Xabi Alonso only to see that end in disappointment eight months later. Ideally, they will find an experienced coach that can handle the expectation and help a young squad grow.
They believe Mourinho fits the bill and he retains a strong relationship with Madrid president Florentino Perez following his three-year spell in charge between 2010 and 2013 that saw them win the Copa del Rey and La Liga.
Mourinho’s Benfica future up in the air as Real Madrid circle
The 63-year-old’s position at Benfica is currently uncertain despite both he and president Rui Costa insisting he will see out his contract that expires at the end of next season.
The pair are believed to disagree on the longer term, however. Mourinho would like to be handed a multi-year deal enabling him to build a new, young squad that will help the club regain supremacy in Portugal and compete for the highest honours in Europe.
Costa is reluctant to do that and, with an exit clause existing at the end of the season, there remains the possibility that there will be a parting of the ways, particularly if third-placed Benfica fail to secure a place in next season’s Champions League.
Spanish newspaper Marca insist Madrid have yet to establish any contact with Mourinho but also claim he would relish a return to the Spanish capital if he doesn’t get the project he desires at Benfica.
Is Mourinho the right man for Real Madrid?
It is easy to see the logic behind identifying Mourinho as the right man for a club heading towards a trophyless season. He is a serial winner and won’t have any issues dealing with the intrusive Madrid media.
However, Mourinho is a very different personality to Ancelotti. The latter rules by respect and is a calming influence on a dressing room of egos. The players loved him and wanted to play for him. Mourinho is a very different man with different methods. A combustible character, he gets players to play for him through challenging them. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t.
There is also a feeling that the game has moved on and Mourinho hasn’t. Compare the football his teams play with that of, say, Luis Enrique or Pep Guardiola… The Madrid fans demand success but also with an element of style and Mourinho’s team is unlikely to produce that.
His Benfica side sat 27th out of the 36 teams in this season’s Champions League for possession with 45.2%. Compare that to Paris Saint-Germain (63%), Barcelona (60.6%) and Bayern Munich (58.1%) and you can see the top sides have evolved away from pragmatism to dominating through keeping the ball.
Jurgen Klopp is a better fit for Madrid, but the noises from the German are that he has no desire to jump back into a high-pressure environment. That leaves the club looking in a different pool, one down from the very elite. Mauricio Pochettino, Andoni Iraola and Julian Nagelsmann have all been mentioned. All come with risk, but are arguably a better fit for Madrid.
Should Madrid decide Mourinho is the man for them, it would be box office. He loves the big stage and his interactions with the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr would be fascinating. However, it would also be a backward move for a club that needs to progress to keep pace with Barcelona.
