'I can work with Jose Mourinho!' - Ex-Arsenal academy chief says history with Arsene Wenger and Louis van Gaal shows he's right man for Benfica as presidential candidate reveals plan

After working in Arsenal and later on with Netherlands women's team, Jonker is aiming for a new role in football. Mayer, who will be fighting against current president Rui Costa and other candidates for the presidency, has announced the Dutchman's name as his choice to take on a background role after submitting his candidacy for the election, as he believes Jonker will be the right man to work alongside Mourinho and current general director of football Mario Branco. 

Jonker has endorsed the idea, saying his history at the Arsenal academy alongside his experiences as an assistant at Bayern Munich and Barcelona show he can deal with a coach like Mourinho.

"If I worked with Louis van Gaal, Arsene Wenger and Jupp Heynckes I can also work with Jose Mourinho. Benfica hasn't won enough in recent years, and if we look at Jose Mourinho's record, we see that he's been extremely successful. Therefore, what we need to do is support him. Let's hope he can win, become champion, win the Portuguese Cup, and perform well in European competitions," he said.

Jonker has a vast resume, boasting big clubs like Arsenal, Barcelona, and Bayern on his CV, as well as spells as a head coach at Wolfsburg and Willem II. At Bayern, he even worked as the interim manager after Van Gaal's departure. Mayer, whose fate depends on the elections on October 25, said: "They are coaches with different profiles, with different characteristics. We have to know how to adjust the team. This is the right person to work with Jose Mourinho and Mario Branco. What is behind us was part of another coach. And, therefore, that had to be left behind. [Jonker] is someone I'm sure will bring this project, this support to Benfica's football, which has been lacking. We can't just be behind the coach, just organised. We need more than that. Andries is that person who will bring a lot of value to the first team."

A club that boasts of Eusebio's legacy, Benfica have never won a Champions League title after it was rebranded in 1992. The club, however, won it as the European Cup in two successive seasons back in 1960-61 and 1961-62. Their latest achievement, meanwhile, was the domestic Super Cup, and the most recent league title came in 2023. Jonker, aiming for an important role at the Lisbon-based outfit, will be expected to help bring back the glorious years at the club if he ultimately signs for them.