Real Madrid icon Jose Mourinho is officially back in the saddle, as at the same time that presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme was waving around official documents of an impending Erling Haaland on live television, current Royal White president Florentino Perez announced the long-anticipated closure of the move for Mourinho from Benfica.
Mourinho's No. 1 task, besides getting the superstar players to work hard for the team and not cause problems, is to overhaul a defense that has been poor for years. Somehow, Carlo Ancelotti won two Champions League titles with this flawed unit, but now Florentino cannot ignore the plight of his back line.
Already, Perez has confirmed that Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate is coming to join Trent Alexander-Arnold as a free agent, and Fabrizio Romano has confirmed a right back to compete with Trent, too, in Serie A winner Denzel Dumfries.
Jose Mourinho and Florentino Perez agree
There is still room for much more help defensively, though. Onda Cero's Alberto Pereiro reports, via Madrid Xtra, that Jose Mourinho thinks long-time Manchester City transfer dream target Josko Gvardiol, whose name began to resurface in rumors a couple of weeks ago after the departure of Pep Guardiola, is a perfect fit for Real Madrid. Mourinho really wants Madrid to sign Gvardiol this summer, and, reportedly, Florentino Perez is in agreement.
What makes Gvardiol so appealing besides his incredible athleticism and technical quality is that he can play at a world-class level at left back and center back. Real Madrid need a new left back to compete with the disappointing youngster Alvaro Carreras, and even after the Ibrahima Konate transfer, the Merengues still need another center back to overhaul this barren unit.
Gvardiol is a bulldog who can bully forwards and win the ball aggressively, he is a tremendous passer, he can carry the ball great distances into the attack, and he has even scored wonderful goals for Manchester City over the years.
Mourinho values quality, but he also values players who do not cause problems and work extremely hard for the team. His great rival Pep Guardiola has had so many of those profiles at Manchester City, and Josko Gvardiol is 100 percent one of them.
How much the Croatian international will cost is unclear, but with new people in charge at Man City, it may not be as much as Madridistas think. Real Madrid need to be all over Gvardiol, and fans will love that Perez will back Mourinho on this great signing.
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