Benfica manager Jose Mourinho has again postponed talk about his future, amid heavy speculation that he will be the next Real Madrid manager. Mourinho admitted on Friday before final Benfica’s clash of the season against Estoril that he had not responded to a contract offer from the Eagles.
Mourinho has a year left on his deal at the Estadio da Luz, and President Rui Costa has reportedly been looking to extend his deal, but Mourinho told Diario AS that he had not looked at the offer on the table.
“Yes, I received a contract renewal offer from Benfica on Wednesday. The offer was given to my agent, but I didn’t want to see it, find out about it, or analyze it. I’ll only do that starting Sunday, I’d say Sunday.”
‘Next week will be important for my future’ – Mourinho
Last weekend, Mourinho had declared that he would discuss his future on Monday. Despite widespread reporting to the contrary, he continues to deny any talks with Real Madrid.
“They never told me they had an offer to show me. Not the president, nor any important person in the organisation. But if they had told me, I would have answered exactly the same way. Next week will be important for me, for my future, and also for Benfica. When the season ends, Benfica has to start thinking about the next one. But, according to the contract and the agreement I signed when I arrived, we have this period of a few days to see what happens and make a decision.”
“Benfica is much bigger than me; there’s no comparison. It’s bigger than everyone, any coach, player, president, anyone. Therefore, as far as my personal situation is concerned, I think there’s no reason to worry, because the club is bigger than everyone, and there’s no need to worry if someone leaves.”
Arbeloa-Mbappe spat ‘hurts’ Mourinho
Meanwhile it has been a chaotic week at Real Madrid, but Mourinho explained that he had not seen the bombastic press conference given by President Florentino Perez, who called elections on Tuesday.
“I haven’t seen Florentino’s press conference. If I do see it, I won’t comment on it; I never do, especially not on presidents.”
On Thursday night, star man Kylian Mbappe publicly questioned manager Alvaro Arbeloa, who said that Mbappe had ‘misunderstood’ his comments, responding that the Frenchman’s assertions were not true.
“It hurts. Because, as you rightly say, he’s a friend. One of those who gave everything for me when I was his player, and now that he’s the Real Madrid coach, that connection remains… Of course, being a coach himself motivates me even more when things go well. But that’s the life of a coach. I often joke with my former players who become coaches, telling them: ‘Wait a couple of years and you’ll see how many gray hairs you get.’ And then they realise that being a player is easier than being a coach. I’m happy with what he’s already achieved.”
The general consensus is that Mourinho is in advanced negotiations with Real Madrid to take over from Arbeloa, although they have two games left this season. Any appointment could be the delayed by Perez calling elections – it is not yet clear if any opposition will run against him though.