TBR Football understands that Jose Mourinho has decided not to wait for an opportunity to return to England after agreeing terms to return to Portuguese football with Benfica.
Benfica axed head coach Roger Schmidt after a shock Champions League defeat to Qarabag on Tuesday evening.
Sources have now confirmed to TBR Football that the club have already agreed personal terms with Mourinho – who has opted to move to the Estadio da Luz.
[
Click to subscribe to the podcast ](https://www.youtube.com/@BeyondTheBackFour?sub_confirmation=1)
We can confirm that Mourinho was very much open to the prospect of returning to England, and he would have been willing to take the Nottingham Forest job, but Ange Postecoglou was always the preferred option.
Arsenal v Nottingham Forest - Premier League
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
Mourinho would also have been open to the prospect of the West Ham United job, should it become available in the coming weeks.
Exclusive: Jose Mourinho is open to a return to England in the future
TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey has exclusively revealed that while the short-lived vacancy at Forest was enticing, Mourinho could not turn down the opportunity to return to Portugal.
“Jose was keen to come back to England, the Forest job did interest him, and he was open to other options, but Benfica is a huge opportunity for him.
“But I don’t think Jose is done with England yet.”
Mourinho was eager to wait for the right opportunity to return to management upon his dismissal in Turkey, and it appears the chance to rival his former club Porto, where he won the Champions League in 2004, was more appealing than a fourth spell in the Premier League.
Benfica v Fenerbahce - UEFA Champions League Play Off 2nd Leg
Photo by Zed Jameson/MB Media/Getty Images
As revealed by TBR Football, Graham Potter was given atwo-game deadline to turn around his fortunes at West Ham. Despite claiming a 3-0 win against Forest before the international break, the defeat to Tottenham means his long-term future is far from certain.
While former boss Sam Allardyce believes David Sullivan would not appoint Mourinho, his track record in English football speaks for itself, having won silverware at Chelsea and Manchester United.
The 62-year-old is a serial winner, and although he left Turkey empty-handed, he became the first manager to win all three European competitions following his Europa Conference League triumph at AS Roma.
Graham Potter faces an important clash against Crystal Palace
Potter is back in the firing line following his second London derby loss of the campaign, and the result against Crystal Palace on Saturday could be detrimental for his future.
The Hammers have lost three out of the opening four Premier League fixtures this season and are only two points better off than they were at this stage last year under Julen Lopetegui.
Sullivan faced widespread public backlash from the West Ham faithful for persisting with the Spaniard for as long as he did, and the Irons chairman will be eager not to repeat his mistakes with Potter.
Indeed, the ex-Chelsea boss has not enjoyed the Premier League return he had hoped for, losing 13 of his 23 league matches in charge, and he will need to find results quickly in East London.