Real Madrid's latest galactico was unveiled today – but it was not Ashley Cole nor Frank Lampard. And as the flashes went off around him at the Santiago Bernabéu, José Mourinho quickly moved to insist that nor would it be.
Madrid's new coach, the 11th in the past seven years, rejected speculation surrounding bids for Lampard and Cole, claiming his relationship with his former players does not necessarily mean they would follow him to Spain. The conclusion that is easiest to draw is often wrong, Mourinho said.
For the first time, Madrid appear ready to hand their coach power over the building of the squad and summer signings. Last week Mourinho suggested he was interested in bringing Cole, Lampard and Steven Gerrard to Madrid. There was a different message during his presentation as the new Madrid manager today.
While Mourinho intimated that there would be a change in Madrid's transfer approach, he refused to be drawn on specific targets and rejected the simple equation: old players equals new signings. "I don't want to talk about names, it is too early," Mourinho said.
"Every word, [costs] €1m more. Ten words, €10m. So, we should not talk about players. The club is happy with the basic squad from last year and so am I. We don't need enormous or dramatic changes. We need three or four players for the coach to have a team that can adapt to his ideas.
"It is the same old story. It is very easy to connect me or my club with ex-players because everyone knows the kind of relationship I had with those players – Maicon, Lampard or Ashley Cole. Because I always establish deep relationships with my players it is easy to put their names in the papers."
Asked if that meant he would be open to signing more Spanish players, as some supporters have demanded in a search for identity, he responded: "Identity has nothing to do with nationality of the players. Madrid's identity will never change. Ever.
"I adapt to the philosophy of the players I have. We need just some adjustments, just a few players. And more than the names, what matters is the profile – the type of players, their position and qualities. It won't be a summer in which we talk so much about the players. We can talk about the World Cup instead. I think it's going to be quite a quiet summer."
Easy for him to say. Madrid's galáctico arrived today; the sheer media presence, and the fans gathered outside the ground, showed that the star signing has already been made for this summer. Despite being in a low-key mood, he did promise: "José Mourinho will always be José Mourinho, with all his qualities and his defects. I never change."
The coach revealed that before his presentation he visited the club's trophy room with the president. "When we walked past [Madrid's] last European Cup, the president said he missed it," Mourinho said. "I said: 'I only won my last one 10 days ago and I miss that too.'
"I can't promise that we [will win the European Cup]. But I can promise that when we go into the draw, although we won't be seeds we won't be scared. The teams that will be scared will be the teams that could get us. They're the unlucky ones. We have an incredible history in the European Cup and an incredible negative history recently. I dream of going to Wembley. Real Madrid and I both want the same thing right now."
Sid Lowe
