Real
Madrid president Florentino Perez announced Monday that coach Jose
Mourinho will leave at the end of the season after three years at the
Spanish club.
Perez said no decision about his replacement has been made. Spanish media has reported that Paris Saint-Germain coach Carlo Ancelotti is a candidate."We've decided to bring our relationship to an end at the end of the current season," Perez said. "The club and manager agree the timing is right to bring our relationship to an end. On behalf of the board of directors I would like to thank Jose Mourinho for all his hard work. The team have improved in his three years, and we wish him all the best. It was the right moment."
The
50-year-old Portuguese coach is leaving having won just a single
Spanish league title -- sandwiched between four Barcelona successes,
including one this season -- and two domestic cups. He has two remaining
matches of a season that will end at the start of next month without
Madrid winning a trophy.
"We
have been thinking about this for a while," Perez said. "We have not
established any pre-contract with no potential coach, and that is what
we will be doing in the following days."
Perez reiterated that "nobody has fired anyone" and that the separation of coach and club was mutual.
"After
three years we both agreed this was the correct moment to finish,"
Perez said. "With Mourinho, we made a big leap competitively and
sporting-wise. Today Madrid is where it ought to be.
"We had not reached that level prior to his arrival, so the balance of his stay here was positive."
The
agreement indicates that the colorful and outspoken coach can return to
Chelsea after a six-year absence without any compensation.
Rafael
Benitez's interim stint in charge of Chelsea will end after a
postseason tour of the United States, having secured qualification for
the Champions League and won the Europa League last week.
Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard can't wait for Mourinho to return.
"He
galvanizes people," Lampard told Talk Sport radio on Monday. "His own
self-confidence reflects back on his teams. ... What he does is he gets
the best out of players and gets this togetherness that I'd never known
until he came to the club, and I haven't seen it again since then."
Popular
with fans and media alike in England -- in stark contrasted to his
fraught relationships in Spain -- Mourinho appears to have repaired his
relationship with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to return to Stamford
Bridge.
"He
might rub people up the wrong way but, as a manager, he's brilliant
with his team. Tactically, he's brilliant with individuals, and I think
he's brilliant with the press," Lampard said. "I know it creates a
storm, but he does protect his players."
As for Mourinho's replacement at Real, Ancelotti said Monday he has sought his PSG release.
"I've asked to leave, and I am waiting for their answer," said the 53-year-old Paris Saint-Germain head coach.
Nasser al-Khelaifi, president for the Ligue 1 champions, denied the reports.
"He
[Ancelotti] asked to depart for Real Madrid. It is not possible because
he has a contract for one year more, so that is our decision," he said
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