Following Real Madrid’s exit from the Champions League, with Los Blancos sitting 11 points behind arch-rivals Barcelona at the top of the La Liga table, Alvaro Arbeloa is not expected to continue in the head coach role beyond the end of this season. According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, the Spanish giants are looking for the right man to lead the team in 2026-27, and the process is being driven by club president Florentino Perez himself.
Perez wants to put a stop to the ongoing slump when it comes to winning major silverware – this is set to be Real’s second consecutive season without any – and the man he wants leading the rebuild from the Santiago Bernabeu dugout is Jose Mourinho.
The 63-year-old spent three years in charge of the team at Real Madrid, between the summers of 2010 and 2013, winning the 2010-11 Copa Del Rey, the 2011-12 La Liga title, and the 2012-13 Spanish Super Cup. His spell in the Spanish capital was followed by a second one at Chelsea, as well as spells with Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, AS Roma, Fenerbahce, and currently Benfica.
At Real, potential alternatives have been discussed internally, such as Mauricio Pochettino, Didier Deschamps and Jurgen Klopp.