Arbeloa expresses happiness at potential Mourinho return

Alvaro Arbeloa, the head coach of Real Madrid, stated that he would be pleased if Jose Mourinho replaces him to lead the club next season. Mourinho is currently in final negotiations to become thenew boss at Real Madrid, marking a return 13 years after his first tenure at the Bernabeu. The 63-year-old coach joined Portuguese side Benfica on a two-year contract last September, but Real Madrid's president, Florentino Perez, is keen on bringing him back.

"For me, as a former [Madrid] player and as a Madridista, Jose Mourinho is number one. He's one of ours," Arbeloa expressed before Sunday’s game against Sevilla. "If he comes back next year, I’ll be very happy to see him back home."

Arbeloa took charge in January after Xabi Alonso’s departure, but the club has finished without a major trophy for a second consecutive season. Recently, Arbeloa faced criticism from Kylian Mbappe after the striker was left out of the starting line-up for Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory over Real Oviedo. Mbappe had missed his side’s two prior games, including last weekend’s El Clasico, which Barcelona won to secure the league title. Upon returning from a thigh injury, he was whistled by some of his own fans.

In recent weeks, scrutiny over Mbappe’s commitment to the club has intensified, exemplified by an online petition demanding ‘Mbappe Out,’ which gathered tens of millions of signatures. However, Arbeloa sought to downplay the situation. "I’ve just bumped into him, I told him to stay calm. I understand that these kinds of things make headlines, but it’s something much more normal than you think," he stated. "I used to be a player; I know what they can feel in these situations—playing every day, then playing less or not at all."

"I totally understand that Kylian wasn’t happy about not playing on Thursday, and I like that. I wouldn’t understand it if he didn’t want to play. My relationship with him remains the same."