Some very interesting quotes from the special one Jose Mourinho this week who said that he wants to manage in England again once his reign at the San Siro is over. Mourinho told Sky Italia
“I have to win first,. I like difficult things. After Inter I will return to England, but I want to win here first. I have a contract with Inter, but when that finishes I will definitely return to the Premier League, I like it a lot.”
Mourinho’s contract at the reigning Serie A champions expires in 2011. So let the speculation begin!
There are 5 teams in England that are big enough for Mourinho. He is used to challenging for titles and European Cups and I cannot see him going to a team that is not challenging for these trophies. That eliminates teams like Newcastle, West Ham, Spurs etc. They are simply not big enough clubs.
That leaves the big four of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, plus Manchester City.
I think that you can eliminate the idea of Jose coming back to Stamford Bridge. Big Phil looks well settled and within the next three years he will win the Premier League and Champions League. I don’t think that Mourinho wants to follow that. So count Chelsea out as a destination.
You can also eliminate Arsenal because I am sure that Arsene Wenger will have a say in who replaces him, and he and Jose are not exactly on the best of terms.
Liverpool would be a good fit for the Special One, but that depends on what Liverpool do in the next three seasons. If Rafa wins the Premiership and gets to another Champions League semi-final then I think his job will be safe and Liverpool’s owners will not be in the position to replace him
Manchester City are the dark horse as they have the financial backing to buy whoever Mourinho wants. In three seasons the rebuilding of the City team will be complete and they could be well positioned to to compete with the best in Europe. Mark Hughes is a good manager, but he is not “Special” and Mourinho could be the difference between City doing a Blackburn and competing for the title for a short period of time, or competing year over year as Chelsea are now.
Over in the red section of Manchester a certain Sir Alex will be retiring in 2-3 years. Twelve months ago the betting money had United assistant Carlos Queiroz assuming the manager mantle. Quieroz as Portugal manager has shown that while he is a great #2, he is not a good #1. He failed at Real Madrid and is struggling now with Portugal. He is not the man to lead United young stars in 2-3 years. Mourinho would be perfect for Old Trafford. He will not be phased by following the giant footsteps of Fergie and the Old Trafford stage is big enough for his ego. Plus he will have a core of players like Rooney, Tevaz, Anderson and Evans who will all be in their prime in 2-3 years.
When Mourinho returns to the English Premier League I expect him to head to Manchester and not London. The only question is whether he will be heading to the red or blue section of the city?
