Jose Mourinho says he hopes ‘wonderful’ and ‘fantastic’ Nico Williams ends up at Real Madrid rather than Arsenal or Chelsea.
Williams attracted interest from some of the biggest clubs in Europe as he starred in Spain’s European Championship triumph last summer.
The 22-year-old has never posted ground-breaking numbers for club side Athletic Bilbao – scoring 22 goals in 142 appearances for the La Liga outfit – but demonstrated his immense potential during the Euros.
Williams scored in the Euro 2024 final victory over England and was named player of the match as Spain lifted the trophy.
Premier League rivals Arsenal and Chelsea were heavily linked with moves for Williams towards the end of the summer transfer window and could revive their interest in one of the hottest prospects in Europe.
But Mourinho ‘hopes’ his former club Real Madrid win the race to sign Williams, who was also linked with Barcelona last summer before deciding to stay at Bilbao.
‘Nico is wonderful,’ Mourinho said at his pre-match press conference as Fenerbahce prepare to face Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League on Wednesday night.
‘At the last Euros, everyone was talking about Yamal, Yamal, Yamal… who is obviously another fantastic young player.
‘But personally, I prefer Nico; he is a fantastic footballer. One cannot think that a Turkish club could sign him; I hope he ends up at Real Madrid.’
Mourinho spent three years in charge of Real Madrid, winning the La Liga title in 2012 with 32 wins from 38 matches as Los Blancos amassed a staggering 100 points.
Madrid won La Liga and the Champions League last season but have endured an underwhelming start to the 2024-25 campaign, trailing Barcelona domestically and sitting 18th in Europe.
‘I am very much a Real Madrid fan; they have the best coach in the world, my friend Carlo,’ Mourinho added.
‘In the future, it will be up to the club to decide whether they prefer a young coach like Xabi Alonso or someone with experience like Ancelotti.
‘They could also consider promoting from within with Raúl or Arbeloa. Florentino [Perez] has not made many wrong decisions, and I’m sure he will get it right next time.
‘We need to remain calm; I think the same as Carlo. The victories will come.’
Mourinho’s Fenerbahce, meanwhile, are currently second in the Turkish top-flight – six points behind title rivals Galatasaray – and 15th in the Europa League.
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