Alvaro Arbeloa has confirmed that he will step away from his position as Real Madrid\u2019s coach at the conclusion of a trophyless season, bringing an end to a difficult campaign for the club.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a press conference, Arbeloa responded \u201cYes\u201d when asked to confirm that he would not be in charge next season, with extensive speculation circulating that Jose Mourinho could be returning to the Bernabeu.<\/p>\n
Real Madrid will take on Athletic Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabeu on matchday, marking their final La Liga fixture of a turbulent year. The game arrives as the club prepares for what is expected to be another major change in the dugout.<\/p>\n
Arbeloa\u2019s appointment came after Florentino Perez moved to replace Xabi Alonso in January, handing the former Spain international the coaching role. Now, the expectation is that Mourinho\u2014described as a veteran in the Portuguese coaching ranks\u2014will take over from Arbeloa.<\/p>\n
Arbeloa also made clear that he would not remain at the club in any coaching capacity if Mourinho is appointed. The Spaniard said there is no possibility of him joining Mourinho\u2019s backroom staff.<\/p>\n
\u201cMou has a fantastic technical team, he\u2019s got good people around him,\u201d Arbeloa said. \u201cIf he comes to Madrid he will come with his team, and there\u2019s no chance that I would be with him. Then, my future\u2026 from Monday I\u2019ll think about that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arbeloa, who represented Real Madrid as a player from 2009 to 2016 before later working with the club\u2019s youth teams, suggested he is hoping the Bilbao encounter serves as a \u201csee you later\u201d rather than a final farewell.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope it\u2019s a see you later,\u201d he added. \u201cI\u2019ve always considered this my home. I\u2019ve belonged to Madrid for 20 years in various roles.\u201d<\/p>\n
With Bilbao the last scheduled match of the season for him as coach, Arbeloa acknowledged the emotional weight of the moment while keeping his focus on the game itself. \u201cIt will be my last game this season as coach of Real Madrid. I don\u2019t know if it will be the last game of my life as coach of Real Madrid,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He concluded by stressing the importance of finishing the campaign on a positive note: \u201cWe never know. I\u2019ll try and enjoy it and try to get the win.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Alvaro Arbeloa has confirmed that he will step away from his position as Real Madrid\u2019s coach at the conclusion of a trophyless season, bringing an end to a difficult campaign for the club. Speaking at a press conference, Arbeloa responded \u201cYes\u201d when asked to confirm that he would not be in charge next season, with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Arbeloa Leaves Real Madrid as Mourinho Speculation Grows","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Alvaro Arbeloa confirms his Real Madrid coaching exit after a trophyless season, ending his tenure as Mourinho rumours swirl ahead","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n