Real certain Mourinho will honour deal

Posted Sunday, March 18, 2012 by ESPN

Real Madrid director Emilio Butragueno has no doubts that coach Jose Mourinho will be with the Bernabeu outfit next season.

Madrid are currently enjoying a good second campaign under the Portuguese tactician but that has not stopped speculation and reports linking Mourinho to a return to the Premier League where he coached Chelsea from 2004 - 2008.

And following Andre Villas-Boas departure from the Blues earlier in the month, the 'Special One' has become the favourite to take the helm at Stamford Bridge once again.

However, Butragueno has dismissed all the media attention surrounding the Madrid manager's future by declaring his confidence that Mourinho will honour the two years left on his current contract with Real.

"This [speculation] is not a problem for us," Butragueno told reporters after Friday's Champions League quarter-final draw in Nyon.

"There is no debate within the club. We are still happy with him.

"For us he is one of the best coaches in the world and we are very excited about what the future has in store with us.

"And, of course, he's under contract. He has two more years so for us there is no question [of him leaving]."

Many observers feel Mourinho would be happy to walk away from Bernabeu in the summer should he guide the club to the La Liga and Champions League crown at the end of this season. Mourinho famously walked out on former club Inter Milan after guiding them to the treble in 2010, but Butragueno sees no parallels with this incident and the current situation Real find themselves in.

Real are on course to win La Liga with a 10-point lead over Barcelona and have what looks to be an easy passage - they play APOEL in the Champions League quarter-finals before a meeting with either Marseille or Bayern Munich in the semi-finals - to the European Cup final.

"He started the project last season and his second season, the performance of the team, in my opinion, has been extremely good," he said.

"Of course there are two months left to see if we are able to win one or two titles but we are very happy with him, with his leadership and the way he‘s able to make the most of everything.

"We are very happy he's our coach."

Still the rumours persist.

On Saturday, at least two UK newspapers claim that Tottenham Hotspur are ready to offer Mourinho a lucrative deal to take over from Harry Redknapp in the summer when the Englishman is expected to be appointed as England boss.