Real short of a striker, says Mourinho
Posted on July 14, 2011, Thursday
MADRID: Real Madrid are short of a striker, coach Jose Mourinho said Tuesday as his team embarked on a pre-season tour in Los Angeles.
“Speaking for myself and everybody else, we’re missing someone, a striker,” the Portuguese coach told Real’s television station.
“But when you get to mid-July with 90 per cent of the squad in place, it’s just great, that allows you to work differently.”
Real Madrid, who finished last season’s La Liga behind arch-rivals Barcelona, have so far recruited Turkish midfielders Nuri Sahin (Dortmund) and Hamit Altintop (Bayern Munich), Spanish striker Jose Maria Callejon (Espanyol) and French defender Raphael Varane (Lens).
“We’re happy because we’re building something to last for a long time,” said Mourinho. “It’s a team that still has 10 years ahead of it.”
Meanwhile, Real announced on Tuesday that defenders Sergio Ramos and Pepe have signed long-term contract extensions with the club.
“Sergio Ramos and Pepe have renewed their contracts with Real Madrid and are now tied to the club until 2017 and 2016 respectively”, read a brief statement on the Spanish side’s official website.
No details were provided as to the value of the new deals, or as to the two players’ release clauses.
The Madrid press first suggested that Brazilian-born, Portuguese international defender Pepe had agreed a new deal back in March which would earn him up to four million euros (US$5.6 million) a year after tax.
Meanwhile, reports of a new deal for Ramos, taking his annual salary from three million euros to 4.5 million euros (US$6.3 million) first appeared last December. — AFP
