Real Madrid head coach Álvaro Arbeloa has openly welcomed the prospect of José Mourinho returning to the club, saying he would be "very happy" to see the Portuguese manager back at the Bernabéu next season.
Mourinho is in advanced talks to take over the reins for a second spell, 13 years after his first stint in the Spanish capital. The 63-year-old only joined Benfica last September on a two-year deal, but Real president Florentino Pérez is pushing hard to bring him home.
"For me, as a former player and as a Madridista, José Mourinho is number one. He's one of ours," Arbeloa said ahead of Sunday's La Liga clash with Sevilla. "If he comes back next year, I'll be very happy to see him back home."
Arbeloa took charge in January after Xabi Alonso's departure, but the club has now gone two consecutive seasons without a major trophy—a drought that has intensified speculation about a change in the dugout. Mourinho's potential return would bring an experienced, no-nonsense leader to a squad that has struggled for consistency.
Meanwhile, Arbeloa has also had to manage tensions with star forward Kylian Mbappé, who was left out of the starting lineup for a 2-0 win over Real Oviedo. The France international had missed the previous two games—including El Clásico, where Barcelona sealed the league title—with a thigh injury, and was met with whistles from his own fans when he came on as a substitute.
An online petition calling for "Mbappé Out" has gathered tens of millions of signatures, placing the World Cup winner under intense scrutiny over his commitment. But Arbeloa downplayed the incident, showing the kind of man-management that Mourinho himself is famous for.
"I've just bumped into him, I told him to stay calm. I understand that these kinds of things make headlines, but it's something much more normal than you think," Arbeloa explained. "I used to be a player, I know what they can feel in these situations—playing every day, then playing less or not at all. I totally understand that Kylian wasn't happy about not playing on Thursday, and I like that. I wouldn't understand it if he didn't want to play. My relationship with him remains the same."