With Jose Mourinho taking charge of his final Real Madrid game at the weekend, Hugh Wilson looks into who could replace the ‘Special One’
After three years in charge, Jose Mourinho left his post as coach of Real Madrid following their 4-2 victory over Osasuna at the weekend. The 50-year old will be announced as the new Chelsea manager this week but the search for the new Real Madrid boss carries on.
Florentino Perez will take charge as he club’s president for the fourth term and it will be his job to sound out a replacement for the charismatic Mourinho.
Paris Saint-Germain coach Carlo Ancelotti is believed to be his number one target following a fantastic season in France, which saw him lead his side to the Ligue 1 title, as well as an impressive run in the Champions League.
The former Chelsea manager has never trained in Spain before but is the 4/7 (1.57) favourite with BetVictor to take over at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Despite Perez doing all he can to bring Ancelotti to Madrid, it would appear as though the move has did a major roadblock, with PSG owner Nasser al-Khelaifi expecting the Italian to see out his contract which has one year left on it.
This has opened the door for outgoing Bayern Munich boss Jupp Heynckes. The German has just led his side to a resounding treble, winning the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Champions League.
Heynckes could look to get straight back into management and he has vast knowledge of La Liga – coaching Athletic Bilbao on two occasions and having a short stint at Real Madrid where he won the Champions League, but poor league form saw him sacked after one season.
He is second favourite at 2/1 (3.00) with BetVictor to take over from Mourinho.
It seems to be a two-horse race, with Swansea boss Michael Laudrup and Benfica coach Jorge Jesus both outsiders for the job at 25/1 (26.00).
For those that think pigs might fly, you can back sacked Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini at 50/1 (51.00) with BetVictor to take over in Madrid. Mancini has only been out of management a short time and would certainly be interested in the post.
With PSG likely to hold onto their trainer, it’s certainly worth investing in Heynckes at 2/1 (3.00) whose success at Munich cannot be ignored and who already has a history of success at the Blancos.
Sign up with BetVictor for a free £25 bet and back Hugh’s selections for this match