Mourinho offers his advice: he wades into the Álvarez and Barcelona crisis
What did the Portuguese coach say about the biggest issue in the summer transfer window?
José Mourinho, the Real Madrid manager, has offered advice to Atlético Madrid striker Julián Álvarez after the crisis surrounding his failed move to Barcelona during the summer transfer window.
Álvarez had made no secret of his desire to join Barcelona. The Catalan club tabled more than one official offer, but Atlético refused to let him go.
With the Spanish transfer window closing on Tuesday, Álvarez will stay at Atlético until at least January.
Barcelona, meanwhile, signed Gabriel Jesus to lead the line after the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres.
At a press conference on Thursday, ahead of his side's La Liga clash with Real Betis on Friday, Mourinho was asked whether he had ever faced a situation similar to Álvarez's.
As reported by the newspaper "Mundo Deportivo", Mourinho said: "No one knows the specific situation better than Simeone, and I don't think I have anything to say on this matter."
Then came his advice to Álvarez: "What I always say is that when a player is not satisfied and the first of September arrives (the end of the transfer market), he has to become satisfied, because otherwise he won't play until January."
The Portuguese continued on Álvarez's future: "I have a feeling that as of yesterday, and at least until December, he will be an important player for his club."
Mourinho does not rule Atlético out of the race
Mourinho rejected the idea that the La Liga title race is a two-horse affair between Real Madrid and Barcelona, insisting Atlético Madrid have the qualities to be strong contenders.
He said: "I think Atlético will also be present. And even if they don't say so publicly, I think they feel capable of competing."
"The way they have made their signings gives them strength, and there is also internal stability through keeping the coach, along with their method of organisation and training, and this gives the team greater strength compared to those who are constantly changing," he added.
"For me, Atlético are one of the candidates. Then there are strong teams that will compete for the Champions League places, such as Betis and Real Sociedad," he continued.
La Liga, Mourinho explained, is no easy competition, given the huge pressure placed on the big clubs.
He said: "For me, this is not an easy title race. Here there is constant pressure to always win. In Germany or France, the candidates for the title enjoy greater comfort because they know they will be champions in the end, whereas here any result other than a win is not considered a good result."
Did he speak with Alonso and Arbeloa?
Mourinho also revealed he had not spoken to former coach Xabi Alonso about Real Madrid, though he did hold a conversation with former coach Álvaro Arbeloa.
He said: "I haven't spoken with Xabi since we played against Leverkusen when I was with Roma. As for Álvaro, I did speak with him, but the information I obtained did not come from him."
"It's not easy for a former coach to speak about his former situation, but the matter was not related to him," he added.
