West Ham had been linked with Jose Mourinho.placeholder image
West Ham had been linked with Jose Mourinho. | Getty Images
Former Chelsea and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has made a rapid return to management following his latest sacking.
The 62-year-old has been appointed as the manager of Portuguese outfit Benfica until the summer of 2027, taking over from Bruno Lage. The former Wolves boss was sacked by the club following Champions League defeat to Qarabag on Thursday.
Mourinho has been out of work for less than a month following his dismissal by Fenerbahce. During that time, Mourinho had been linked with a return to the Premier League to take over from Graham Potter at West Ham.
West Ham linked with Jose Mourinho amid Graham Potter pressure
Potter struggled to improve upon the dismal work of Julen Lopetegui when appointed in January and a slow summer transfer window hasn’t helped this season. The Hammers have been on the receiving end of bad defeats to Sunderland, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur already this season.
That has heaped pressure on the West Ham manager and Football Insider had claimed that Mourinho wanted a return to London amid trouble at the London Stadium. Mourinho had been linked with the West Ham job following the sacking of Lopetegui as well.
Former Manchester United scout Mick Brown had told the outlet: “Jose Mourinho will want the West Ham job. He wants to return to London, I know he’s still got a house there and he loves living in the city, so if a job comes up that will allow him to move back, of course he’ll be interested.”
Hammers miss out on ‘dream’ managerial appointment
That would have been somewhat of a dream appointment for West Ham. The London outfit regularly look devoid of personality but there’s no doubting that wouldn’t have been the case under the charismatic Mourinho.
The manager, who won the Premier League three times with Chelsea, has also lifted the Champions League, Europa League, FA Cup and League Cup. A move to West Ham had also seemed to be exactly what Mourinho was looking for at this point in his career.
Prior to leaving Turkey, he had said: "I think the best thing I have to do is, when I leave Fenerbahce, I go to a club that does not play UEFA competitions. If any club in England from the bottom of the table needs a coach in two years, I am ready to go."
West Ham continue to back Potter with a club statement on Thursday maintaining that position following a meeting with the Fan Advisory Board. Part of that lengthy post read: “Steps have already been taken to implement a new strategy and approach – particularly in the area of player recruitment. We have appointed Graham Potter as our new Head Coach. His role is to build and develop a first-team squad in line with the Club’s identity and objectives, with a continued focus on integrating young players from our Academy.”
In other news, West Ham blow as 'really impressive' star to miss Crystal Palace clash.
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