This is not what he had in mind when he signed for Real Madrid
Thibaut Courtois is said to be ‘deeply concerned’ by the prospect of Real Madrid hiring either José Mourinho or Antonio Conte once Julen Lopetegui’s imminent dismissal is confirmed.
In a report for Spanish newspaper El País, Diego Torres says that among all the internal bickering over the current managerial situation, the most ‘desolate’ man at the club is not Lopetegui, but Courtois.
“I can not believe it!” he was heard saying. “Here, I am the only one who has worked with Conte and with Mourinho. I left London to not have to go through something like that again and now it turns out that Conte is coming, and if not, Mourinho.”
Courtois won the Premier League under both managers during his time at Chelsea, though he did not get on well with either. Torres’ report states that during the 2014/15 season, Courtois won the league title in a climate of ‘internal revolt’ against Mourinho.
Problems with Conte began during the coach’s second season at Stamford Bridge. Having won the league title the season before, a new ‘cold war’ between the coach and the players started, with Diego Costa the most notable victim – he was ostracised and returned to his former club Atlético Madrid.
Regarding the current climate at Real Madrid, Mourinho is reportedly waiting to be sacked by Manchester United in order to receive a hefty pay-off, before returning to Real Madrid. Florentino Perez, president of the Spanish club, is supposedly keen on bringing the Portuguese coach back to give the players ‘shock treatment’ after a poor start to the season that has left them seventh in the league table after nine league games.
Conte, meanwhile, is currently available and unlike Mourinho, has no bad blood with Real Madrid – only Courtois.
Courtois signed for Real Madrid after an excellent World Cup with Belgium, who reached the semi-finals as Courtois was named the best goalkeeper at the tournament. Madrid will not want to upset their marquee signing from last summer, but with limited options, they may not have a choice.
