Jorge Valdano blinked first. José Mourinho is getting his striker, and the Portuguese has won his first meaningful battle with his paymasters at Real Madrid.

Oh, sure, the clash between the Argentine sporting director and the fiery coach is nothing new. The two have butted heads in the past over everything from playing style to protecting the players in the media. But for the first time the Special One has taken on Valdano on his own patch - transfer policy - and he's won.

Remember, as recently as December Valdano was adamant that there was no need for a January reinforcement, while Mourinho stood his ground. With just three recognised forwards on the books - and one, Gonzalo Higuaín, now injured - the squad simply was not equipped to fight on three fronts. Now, belatedly, the management agrees.

It looks as though the incoming striker will be Ruud van Nistelrooy - a man known well by both Mourinho and the Bernabéu faithful. It may not be the banner signing - the Tévez, the Rooney - that all had hoped for, but the Dutchman has pedigree, experience, and a true desire to play for Madrid. Whether or not Hamburg let him go is another matter, but one imagines that Ruud and Mourinho will both do their best to make that happen.

But the implications of this are far greater than the addition of one man to the squad. By taking on Valdano, José has shifted the balance of power at a club famous for its disregard for coaches. Let's not forget, this is the same Madrid that sacked Fabio Capello after he won the title, and current president Florentino Pérez is the same man who didn't renew Vicente del Bosque's contract despite his league-winning heroics with v1.0 of the Galácticos. Almost invariably, when a problem - be it political or sporting - arrives at the gates of Chamartín, it is the coach sent out as cannon fodder.

Now, though, it's different. Mourinho is not a man accustomed to hearing the word "no," and it shows. Pérez's relative underachievement is driving him to try new things, and accepting that the coach may have valuable input in sporting affairs is one of these. What this means for Valdano - and indeed for Mourinho - in the long run is not clear. But what's certainly apparent now is that Madrid have a new signing to look forward to by the end of January, and a new dynamic to savour in the boardroom.