How could they not after rumoured in-fighting in the dressing room, and well below-par performances and results.
All change at Real Madrid
Known for his excellent man-management skills and often spiky demeanour, the Special One's reputation precedes him.
With Los Blancos not only having lost the league title to Barcelona again last season, but to have it confirmed after the second Clasico of the season, would've been particularly galling for club president, Florentino Perez.
It's perhaps with that embarrassment in mind that he got Mourinho in in the first place, and has opened club coffers already to allow the Portuguese to spend around €100m so far on the likes of Ibrahima Konate, Marc Cucurella, Denzel Dumfries, Bernardo Silva and Carlos Espi.
The €125m capture of Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig is imminent, with negotiations ongoing for Man City midfielder, Rodri.
With such an influx of new talent, there were bound to be a number of departures.
Multiple departures already
Dani Ceballos, David Alaba and Dani Carvajal's exits could all have been predicted, ditto Mario Martin, Fran Garcia, Gonzalo Garcia, Fran Gonzalez and Cesar Palacios.
One player who impressed during what was a disappointing season overall for the club was Raul Asencio, so it's a surprise to understand that Mourinho has, apparently, already told the player that he is surplus to requirements, too.
The defensive reshuffle has seen to it that the 23-year-old will be lucky to get a game, unless there are a plethora of injuries or suspensions that occur at the same time.
That doesn't appear to have put off the player who, despite appearing to interest Liverpool, seems content to fight for his place in Madrid.
Asencio to stand trial
Real's stance could also have been influenced by knowing that Asencio will stand trial in September for an alleged offence that would drag the club's name through the courts and see them on the front pages for all the wrong reasons.
Despite this, Andoni Iraola retains an interest in bringing the player to Merseyside.
Known for a dynamic and physical way of playing the game, Asencio often played right on the edge of what's acceptable in 2025/26.
His tackle success rate of 73.08% was only bettered by Carvajal and Alaba, and shows just how committed the youngster was during the season.
Exuberance needs to be reined in
Along with 90 clearances made, which only Aurelien Tchouameni, Antonio Rudiger and Dean Huijsen could top, 42 headed clearances, 79 ball recoveries and a 57.32% one-on-one duel success, Asencio's was a great defensive showing.
Seven yellow cards across the season were acceptable, but two reds were the joint most received along with Huijsen, indicating that, sometimes, the player needed to rein in that exuberance just a little.
Something that Iraola will demand of any new signings for Liverpool, as well as those players already at the club, is a decent pass completion rate.
Here, too, Asencio excelled last season. Of those Real players who made at least 500 passes in all competitions, the defender's 93.59% completion was the best at the club.
Mourinho's warning sign
The only other squad member to get a higher percentage was David Jimenez (96.05%), but he attempted only 152 passes compared to Asencio's 1,732.
Whilst it's understood that the player doesn't wish to leave Madrid, as Mourinho has made it clear that Asencio isn't necessarily in his thoughts, that should be enough of a warning sign for the centre-back (who can also operate at right-back) to look elsewhere.
Asencio needs to ask himself whether he really wants his career to stagnate for a minimum of five to six months - before the January window opens - in order to try and prove a point to a manager who is generally not for turning once he's made his mind up.
It's a big call as by then, Liverpool may well have solved their own defensive issues, and it would leave the 23-year-old in limbo, potentially until the end of the season.
Jason Pettigrove has been the features writer for Flashscore since 2025, utilising Opta data to form the basis of his articles. He has previously worked for high profile football clubs, news and media outlets, both in print and digital, and can usually be found watching FC Barcelona when time permits. You can read more of his pieces here.
