Real Madrid News
Real Madrid meet top manager target’s camp as return talks intensify – report
As reported just a while back, Jose Mourinho is now seen as the top target to become the next manager of Real Madrid.
With the dressing room in turmoil, Los Blancos see the need to appoint a manager with strong character like the Portuguese tactician in order to restore order before next season.
Meeting held
Building on that, Sky Germany now reports that representatives of Real Madrid met with Mourinho’s camp at the beginning of the week in order to intensify talks over a possible return.
The driving force behind the plans to bring Mourinho back is Real Madrid general director Jose Angel Sanchez.
The 63-year-old is open to returning to the Santiago Bernabeu, where he previously worked between 2010 and 2013, winning La Liga, Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup during his spell at the club.
However, Mourinho is reportedly demanding full control of the dressing room and significant influence over transfers in order to return.
It remains unclear whether club president Florentino Perez is willing to accept those demands. The relationship between the pair is believed to remain very strong.
However, Xabi Alonso too had a strong bond with Perez, but also failed in his attempts to introduce new structures around the squad and break up internal cliques.
The final decision concerning Mourinho’s appointment now rests with the Real Madrid president.
To appoint Mourinho, Real would have to pay compensation to his current club SL Benfica. The release clause in his contract, which runs until 2027, is set at just under €3 million and can be activated within the first ten days after the end of the season.
A final decision therefore may not be far away.
Real Madrid’s performance against Real Betis was shambolic, to say the least as the team faced many of the problems that have haunted them over the past couple of years.
But on a night where most of the attackers struggled to create anything of note, Dean Huijsen emerged as a lone bright spark for Los Blancos.
Huijsen keeps his promise
As reported by MARCA, Huijsen was the standout performer for Real Madrid, marshalling the backline with real authority even as the team struggled around him.
There has been a noticeable shift in the young defender’s mentality this season, with the player showing more competitive nature and looking much fiercer.
This is an attitude Huijsen had always promised, having inherited the iconic number four shift from David Alaba, a number he associates with his idols Sergio Ramos and Fernando Hierro.
“What I do know is that I’ll give everything of myself every day, whether in training or in a game,” he vowed, and at La Cartuja he delivered on that word.
His primary task was neutralising Juan ‘Cucho’ Hernandez, and he did so superbly, drying up the Colombian’s supply and repeatedly anticipating danger.
He also held his own in a niggly battle with Antony, refusing to be ruffled by one of Betis’ most inspired performers.
His composure on the ball, one of the qualities that has elevated him, saw him venture forward, forcing a fine save from the goalkeeper in the 11th minute and later heading against the woodwork.
The Konate partnership grows
Alongside him, Ibrahima Konate did his job, albeit without matching his partner’s brilliance.
The Frenchman was a little less assured, both in and out of possession, reflecting the two speeds of the centre-back pairing.
Huijsen looks settled and increasingly commanding, while Konate is still building the sharpness needed to reach his best in white.
Nonetheless, the partnership is heading in the right direction, and in Huijsen, Real Madrid appear to have unearthed a genuine leader for an area that has long been a weakness.
Each performance is also an argument to Luis de la Fuente, as the defender looks to reclaim the Spain spot he lost before the World Cup.
