Jose Mourinho wants to bring a former Real Madrid player into his coaching team to help manage dressing room tensions and act as a bridge between himself and the squad.
Jose Mourinho wants former Real Madrid player as part of coaching staff
The Portuguese manager expects to take charge at the Santiago Bernabeu next week, provided Florentino Perez remains unchallenged as club president.
Any potential delay would only come if Perez runs in elections, but the current president remains the heavy favourite to keep his position. Perez has chosen Mourinho to replace Alvaro Arbeloa.
As per Marca, Mourinho actively seeks a so-called ‘firefighter’ for the summer a former Madrid player who can mediate situations inside the Valdebebas dressing room.
The role, also described as a team manager, mirrors similar duties that Zinedine Zidane performed during Carlo Ancelotti’s first spell.
Fernando Hierro later took over when Zidane moved to Castilla, while Aitor Karanka served in that capacity under Mourinho previously.
The Portuguese tactician has already mapped out most of his coaching team. Benfica assistant Joao Tralhao will accompany him from Portugal, along with Pedro Machado, fitness coach Antonio Dias and analyst Roberto Merella.
Goalkeeping coach Nuno Santos will likely follow, but Ricardo Formosinho and Ricardo Rocha will not join the project.
The arrivals cast doubt over the futures of fitness coach Antonio Pintus and goalkeeping coach Luis Llopis.
Llopis has worked at Real Madrid since 2021 during his second spell at the club. Pintus remains a controversial figure Madrid dismissed him in 2025 before bringing him back in January following Xabi Alonso’s exit.
However, he struggled to reduce the team’s injury problems.
