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Jose Mourinho to Real Madrid? Why Portuguese manager could be the ultimate wildcard

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Real do not have a manager for next season.

Arbeloa has got a year left in his contract but it is clear that chairman Perez is looking elsewhere for a new boss.

Even though Perez appreciates the positives of Arbeloa’s tenure, results dictate decisions at the Bernabeu.

But to understand who they will hire, you first need to understand how Perez thinks.

Perez does not care about style of play. He does not lose sleep over tactical identity or whether his team presses high or sits deep. What he cares about is winning, and more than that, managing.

Managing egos, stars, the dressing room.

For Perez, the ideal manager is a conductor.

There is a recurring tension at the Bernabeu between two schools of thought. On one side, the number two at the club Jose Angel Sanchez argues that Real need an organiser, a tactically rigorous coach who can impose order on a talented but chaotic squad.

That line of thinking has produced appointments such as Rafa Benitez, Julen Lopetegui and, most recently, Alonso. None of them lasted more than a few months. The president was never truly behind them, and when results gave him the excuse, they were gone.

On the other side sits Perez’s own preference: the grand manager, the aristocrat of the touchline, someone whose presence alone commands respect in the dressing room. Think Zinedine Zidane. Think Carlo Ancelotti, twice. That is the template Perez returns to when his patience runs out.

With Alonso gone, the president’s line has won again. And the names being considered reflect exactly that.

Now to the name that has been generating headlines – Jose Mourinho.

People inside the club suggest he is not necessarily the only name on the list. The Mourinho option is driven principally by Perez himself… and by the Portuguese manager.

Perez likes to throw ideas out there and see what reaction they get.

Mourinho is under contract with Benfica until 2027 but can come out of it, and whatever he says publicly, my understanding is that he is desperate to return to the Bernabeu.

His behaviour during the Gianluca Prestianni affair in the Benfica-Real Madrid Champions League encounter did not lose him fans at the Bernabeu, including the president.

It is the ultimate wildcard – the president reaching for a name he knows, a figure who can dominate a dressing room, a manager whose second spell in Madrid would be already a statement.

However, sources inside the camp say, it would only happen if the other options fall through.

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Leyton Orient criticise badge on new Wrexham third kit

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Leyton Orient have criticised Wrexham and their celebrity owners, Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, for creating a badge on their new kit which mirrors their own.

Wrexham unveiled their cream third strip on Wednesday, and received the Hollywood seal of approval with pictures of Reynolds and Mac modelling it on the club website.

But it was a new-look badge which raised eyebrows as Wrexham deviated from their traditional crest of two red dragons facing inward, a golden football, the Prince of Wales feathers with a coronet and motto, and Welsh flag colours.

Instead, the badge was replaced with two wyverns or dragons facing each other over a football, and looking remarkably like the crest of Orient.

The wyvern is the defender of the Thames in mythology and of the sea, through the old Orient Shipping Company, and adorns the badge introduced by the League One club in 1976.

Orient criticised Wrexham’s badge on their social media by asking: “What you playing at @VancityReynolds @RMcElhenney?, alongside a video of former England manager Roy Hodgson using colourful language.

Leyton Orient’s criticism comes after Wrexham pulled an anthem jacket from its club shop following swift backlash from fans over the use of a white dragon emblem.

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Ezri Konsa ‘available’ to make Arsenal debut against former club Aston Villa – Mikel Arteta

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Arsenal summer signing Ezri Konsa could be set to make his debut against his former club Aston Villa on Monday night, Mikel Arteta says.

The 28-year-old completed a £51million move to Arsenal last week from Villa Park, where the England international had played since 2019.

“He’s available. He’s been training really well so I think he will be available for selection,” the manager said in a press conference on Thursday afternoon. The Premier League champions will take on Unai Emery’s side in their second league game of the season away from home.

“That’s nothing that concerns me,” Arteta added on Konsa returning to Villa Park. “If I see something different in the player, maybe I question that.

“(But) the way I have seen Ezri from day one, knowing his personality well and with all the feedback I get from the people who have worked with him, that’s nothing that concerns me.”

If Konsa is to start, he could displace Ben White at right-back or Cristhian Mosquera, partnering with Gabriel, who both started in the opening-day 3-0 victory over Coventry City at the Emirates.

Arteta said Bruno Guimaraes is “potentially available,” but the club has managed his training over the last few days due to a groin injury.

“He’s out on the pitch, he’s doing training sessions,” the manager said. “But we need to manage a lot to get (Guimaraes) to Monday in the best possible condition to be able to get selected.”

The summer signing played the first half in Arsenal’s Community Shield victory over Manchester City but wasn’t in the squad against Coventry.

As for Gabriel Jesus, the Brazilian forward was not involved in training on Thursday. Jesus’ contract at Arsenal expires in June 2027.

“It’s something to do with the numbers that we have in the squad at the moment and the way we’re managing that kind of situation individually with all the players that have some personal situations,” Arteta said.

Gabriel Martinelli is another potential departure, with Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal pursuing a deal for the 25-year-old forward. Martinelli was seen leaving Thursday’s training ahead of the other players by members of the media.

“Again, that’s another personal situation that we are dealing with,” Arteta added. “Everybody knows and recognises how much we love Gabi. And whatever the outcome is, it will be because everybody agrees to that.”

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Itauma vs Hrgovic: Croat says he will send British heavyweight “back to high school”

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Filip Hrgovic told British heavyweight Moses Itauma he will “send him back to high school” when they fight for the vacant IBF heavyweight world title at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday.

Unbeaten Itauma, 21, is aiming to become the second-youngest heavyweight world champion in history – Mike Tyson remains the youngest.

Hrgovic, 34, has repeatedly called Itauma a “kid” in the build-up, prompting the Chatham heavyweight to admit the taunts were starting to wind him up.

But Itauma played down their impact at Thursday’s news conference. “At the end of the day, talk is cheap. It’s schoolboy banter,” he said.

An Olympic bronze medallist with an extensive amateur pedigree, Hrgovic’s only pro defeat came against Daniel Dubois in 2024.

He dismissed suggestions he was trying to play “mind games”.

“I just tell you what I think. I think he’s a kid, he’s not mature enough. I think I’m the man. I’m a much better age, much more experienced. That’s it,” he said.

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