Real Madrid confirm Arbeloa's departure

Real Madrid confirmed on Tuesday that coach Alvaro Arbeloa was leaving the club, paving the way for the return of Jose Mourinho.

"Real Madrid and Alvaro Arbeloa have reached an agreement to end his tenure as the first-team coach," a statement on the 15-time European champions' website read.

Arbeloa, who arrived in January to replace Xabi Alonso, had himself announced on May 22, just prior to the end of the LaLiga season, that he would be leaving his post at the end of the campaign.

His short spell as interim boss was marked by an early exit in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey against second-tier Albacete and several painful defeats in LaLiga that ended Real's title hopes.

They were also knocked out of the Champions League in the quarterfinals by Bayern Munich as Los Blancos endured a second successive season without silverware.

The confirmation of Arbeloa's departure, two days after Florentino Perez's re-election as club president, is expected to speed up the return of Mourinho – 13 years after his first spell at the Bernabeu.