News Focus
- Jose Mourinho will fly from Lisbon to Madrid on Wednesday to seal his return to Real Madrid
- The 63-year-old has agreed a three-year contract with the Spanish giants
- Benfica have appointed former Fulham boss Marco Silva as Mourinho’s replacement
- Alvaro Arbeloa’s exit as interim coach has cleared the way for Mourinho’s arrival
- Florentino Perez’s election victory on Sunday confirmed the conditions for the move
Jose Mourinho is travelling to Spain on Wednesday afternoon. He will complete his return to Real Madrid. The Portuguese manager will sign a three-year contract with the La Liga club.
Mourinho will fly from Lisbon to the Spanish capital. When he arrives, he will go straight to the training ground. He will start work immediately. There will be no press conference or welcome ceremony today. These events will happen later this week.
Real Madrid will release an official statement on Wednesday confirming the appointment. Mourinho will bring five coaches with him to the club.
The way is now clear for Mourinho because Alvaro Arbeloa has left his role. Arbeloa was the interim first-team coach. Real Madrid thanked him for his loyalty and hard work in a statement on Tuesday evening.
Benfica announced their new manager on Tuesday night. They have appointed Marco Silva to replace Mourinho. Silva previously managed Fulham. He has signed a two-year deal with the Portuguese club. There is an option for one extra year.
Mourinho could not start work earlier because of the presidential election at Real Madrid. Florentino Perez won the election on Sunday. He defeated Enrique Riquelme. Perez confirmed immediately that Mourinho would return to the club.
“We have won the elections,” Perez said. “We will continue working to win titles. We are proud to welcome back Jose Mourinho. He is one of the best coaches in the world.”
Mourinho originally planned to start work two weeks ago. This was after Real Madrid played their final La Liga match against Athletic Bilbao. However, he had to wait for the election to finish.