Alvaro Arbeloa responds to rumours that Real Madrid are interested in bringing Jose Mourinho back to the club - 'The only future is tomorrow'
Published 02/05/2026 at 20:18 GMT+1
React to this story
Alvaro Arbeloa insists he is only focused on the immediate future of Real Madrid amid rumours he might be replaced as manager by Jose Mourinho.
'Save yourselves the questions... I am not worried about my future' says says under pressure Arbeloa
Video credit: SNTV
Arbeloa was hired midway through the season as the interim Los Blancos boss after they sacked Xabi Alonso midway through his debut campaign in the Spanish capital.
In recent weeks, media reports suggested that Real president Florentino Perez is interested in bringing Mourinho back for a stunning return to the club.
Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg reported earlier this week that Perez has been in "direct talks" with Mourinho's agent Jorge Mendes in recent weeks.
When asked about whether he has considered his future with the club, Arbeloa insisted he was concentrating on Real's upcoming games.
"My only response to this will always be the same, and the only future is tomorrow," the 43-year-old told reporters. "What concerns me is the [La Liga] match against Espanyol [on Sunday], winning those three points which are important to me.
"I have said during these months that my life at Real Madrid is at stake in each match, because that's how I understand it. The most important thing for my team, for my players, for the club, is tomorrow's match."
Mourinho is the current manager at Benfica, with his team second in the Portuguese league and likely to qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League.
Benfica have not lost a league game all season, but are still four points off leaders Porto.
Mourinho previously managed Real between 2010 and 2013, having left Inter Milan in dramatic style, just days after winning the Champions League.
While with Real, Mourinho won the La Liga title and the Copa del Rey. His time at the club is best remembered for the heated battles his side had with Pep Guardiola's Barcelona at the time.
This season, Real have struggled to gel, firstly under Alonso and now under Arbeloa.
They were dumped out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich at the quarter-final stage and they sit 11 points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona.
- Arteta: Bayern and PSG competing in 'different worlds' to Premier League teams
- Salah reveals Gerrard dinner that shaped his Liverpool exit - 'People didn't know you came'
Real are unlikely to win a trophy this season, meaning it will be their second trophy-less season in a row, something Arbeloa accepts is very much under par.
"The results are far from what Real Madrid should be, especially when the difference in level between Real Madrid and the teams we face is quite clear," he said.
"We can't win just by getting off the bus, but we definitely have to improve a lot, as usual, on the collective level. All the talent we have is not enough if we're just going to put the ball on the ground and play individually."
As well as Mourinho, former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp has been linked to the job.
TNT Sports' Spanish football expert Phil Kitromilides believes that Klopp is the name which "gets Real Madrid fans the most excited."
"He has the cachet, they remember coming up against his Borussia Dortmund side, his Liverpool side. He is a man who is hugely respected in Madrid for what he has done," Kitromilides said.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2026/05/20/image-ef33263a-86ca-4ecb-bc2c-d0382c18f910-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
Klopp the name 'that gets Real Madrid fans the most excited'
Video credit: TNT Sports
"And there seems to be this kind of cycle with Real Madrid where they go for a manager who is more arm round the shoulder, talk to the players, be a bit nicer, let them do what they want.
"And there's brief success; [Zinedine] Zidane, [Carlo] Ancelotti, maybe even [Alvaro] Arbeloa. And then it all falls apart. And then people say, 'Oh, we need a tough manager to come in and whip these guys into shape'. He comes in, it doesn't work.
"Then they go back to the manager with the arm round the shoulder and the cycle is rinse and repeat. I think they need to break that cycle. And of the names that are being mentioned, Jurgen Klopp could potentially be the most attractive one.
"But it's a really, really important summer for Real Madrid in terms of where they go next, because they've got this squad which is full of terrific individual players, but they haven't been able to build a team with them over the last two years."
Add TNT Sports as a preferred source here to enjoy more content like this.
Stream the Premier League, men’s and women’s FA Cups, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League and more live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.
Related Topics
Advertisement
Advertisement