Real Madrid’s coach Manuel Pellegrino’s departure begins Real Madrid’s hunt for Mourinho
Real Madrid’s coach Manuel Pellegrini was counting his last days towards the inevitable ending. Now his count can end because the time is near. Madrid has officially departed Pellegrini from Bernabeu because they no longer need his services anymore.
Pellegrini had signed a two-year contract with Madrid but was flashed the red card due to his lack-lustre campaign. His only triumph was a second position at La Liga, but apparently, that wasn’t enough.
He was working on a loose leash in terms of Madrid’s standards. The major criticism for him came in the shape of massive failures in the league. An approximate expenditure of £250 million on players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzima and Xavi Alonso still brought back no results either.
The news was delivered by Madrid President Florintino Perez after a board meeting was held at Bernabeu. He also notified his will to sign in Jose Mourinho as the next coach of Madrid after the transfer scenario with Inter Milan comes to an end.
He said, “We have dedicated the last few weeks to analysing and reflecting upon the past season. And we have decided to bring to an end Manuel Pellegrino’s time at the club.”
Appreciating Pellegrini efforts he said, “We want to thank him and his team for their hard work, professionalism and conduct.”
On Mourinho’s appointment, he said, “The board also agreed to contract Jose Mourinho as the new coach of Real Madrid once his contractual relationship with Inter Milan has been resolved."
Mourinho, 47, has led the Italian side to an amazing run. After acquiring the Serie A Champions, they went ahead to win the Coppa Italia and the Champions League. Though Mourinho is under contract with the Nerazzurri till June 2012, there is a loop-hole in the wordings. If Bernabeu offers 16 million Euros to Inter, then an understanding can take place and the transfer will be in process.
Mourinho has had a chat with Inter's finance director Rinaldo Ghelfi, and is quite confident that he will be joining the Spanish club later in the season. He stated, “Now I am on holiday, then I will go and work in Spain.”
Previously the Chilean Pellegrini took Villarreal to become one of the best clubs in Spain. Pellegrini didn’t have a bad start at Bernabeu; in fact he won the first six Primera Division and Champions League games. Bad luck became a regular guest after their defeat to Seville in the La Liga and AC Milan in Europe. Further on, they were disgraced by Alcorcon by a thumping margin of 4-0.
Defeats like these had already deplored their image while the upcoming Champions League offered nothing better. They were supposed to recover their lost glory but failed, finishing at the 16th ranked after crumbling to Lyon.
The performance at the La Liga gave Madrid the much needed break when they finished at the second position; the first position going to Barcelona.
Perez knows that there has been a steady change in coaches of Real in the past, with 11 coaches being replaced in 7 years. He acknowledged the fact by saying, “The change of coach is always difficult, but we are convinced that after this first year and this first phase, now is the moment to give a new impulse to our project.”
He later added that the club’s main aim was to win. He said, “This club demands the maximum and is always in search of excellence. Winning and being leaders in Europe has always been the desire of our fans and therefore, that's the objective of this board.”
Mourinho has been quite enthusiastic about coaching Real Madrid. Now with Perez’s interest sparked in Mourinho, the new coach is inevitable. He said, “There is nobody on the board who has given an opinion against the signing of Jose Mourinho, on the contrary, they are enthusiastic at being able to recruit one of the best coaches in the world.”
He also said that Real Madrid will finally have coach that can last longer and lead them back to the victory stage. This is what he had to say, “We believe that he (Mourinho) is a coach that will add a lot to this important squad that we have. And what is still left to resolve is the interpretation, between Mourinho and the club, of his contract.”
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