Jose Mourinho could soon be looking for a new job, and he’s already stated his desire to work at a club, out of Europe, battling away at the foot of the Premier League.
“The best thing I have to do is when I leave Fener is that I go to a club that doesn’t play in UEFA competition,” Mourinho told reporters after being shown a red card in a Europa League outing last October.
“So a club at the bottom in England who needs a coach in two years, I’m ready to go.”
Mourinho remains in charge of the Turkish Super Lig club, for now, but his future has been thrown into doubt after their Champions League qualifier defeat to Benfica.
Reports out of Turkey suggest that he could be sacked, especially amid rumours that the club president who’s backed him could also depart.
If the 62-year-old does depart Fenerbahce, we’ve identified five Premier League clubs we’d love to see Mourinho firefight at.
Leeds United
There were whisperings of Mourinho’s name while Daniel Farke was rumoured to be facing the axe after leading Leeds’ 100-point, Championship-topping promotion charge last season.
The club’s San Francisco 49ers ownership group ended up backing Farke, but you can’t imagine the German will be at Elland Road for much longer if he endures many more weeks like a 5-0 mauling away to Arsenal followed by a League Cup exit away to a beleaguered Sheffield Wednesday fielding their youth team.
Mourinho himself has recently stated he’d be open to managing Rangers, recently acquired by the 49ers – might there be something to the links?
Farke was arguably the best man for the job when it came to getting Leeds out of the Championship. Mourinho might well be what’s best for what’s likely to be a proper scrap of a season for the Yorkshire outfit.
You can easily imagine him harnessing the us-against-the-world siege mentality of the Leeds fanbase and making Elland Road the kind of ground no club would want to visit.
West Ham United
This one feels like the most viable option right now.
A club that doesn’t seem to know what they are or where they’re going, Mourinho would make almost too much sense if (when) Graham Potter is given the heave-ho.
“From what I’ve heard, he’d be very interested. He’s still got a house in London, so that would make things a bit easier for him,” former Hammers scout Mick Brown told Football Insider, back when Julen Lopetegui was under pressure late last year.
“If the opportunity arises for him to go back to a London club, I’m told he’d jump at it.
“We all know he wants to return to England anyway, so I don’t think it would be an issue persuading him to make the move back from Turkey.”
Wolves
One of two clubs yet to pick up a point this season, Wolves look set for a dogfight as they struggle to adapt to the departures of a number of their key players.
Vítor Pereira doesn’t appear under immediate pressure, but he’s famously volatile and never stays anywhere long. We’d be surprised if he proves a long-term fit at Molineux.
Mourinho to Wolves has felt on the cards ever since they started dealing with superagent Jorge Mendes and bulked out their squad with Portuguese players.
You imagine that they’d give Mourinho the autonomy he’d be after, if not lavish financial backing.
Fulham
In fairness, we’re probably jumping the gun by describing Fulham as relegation-battlers.
Last season, the Cottagers finished comfortably mid-table with a club-record points tally in the Premier League.
They’re still unbeaten this season and their performance against Manchester United suggested they’ll be just fine.
But there’s been disquiet amid their lack of transfer activity this summer, and Marco Silva has cut a frustrated figure in press conferences.
We’ve seen countless examples of clubs who have gone backwards by standing still, and it’s not inconceivable that Fulham could be next.
On the one hand, with their neutral stand and Hugh Grant & Daniel Radcliffe among their famous fans, Fulham feel a bit too ‘nice’ to turn to the dark lord himself.
But with their stadium investment, Michelin-star inspired menus and rooftop pool, Mourinho would bring the requisite glamour.
He’s never looked more at home anywhere than in his two previous stints in West London.
Burnley
Call this one the curveball.
Burnley probably don’t have the pull for a manager of Mourinho’s status.
But you imagine their ambitious American owners ALK Capital would love to pull off that kind of statement, while minority investors like former American footballer JJ Watt and the YouTube group Dude Perfect would be keen on the fireworks.
The Clarets have dabbled with Guardiola-inspired possession football under Vincent Kompany.
Scott Parker’s pricey Thom Browne jardigans are an awkward fit. They need to re-embrace their sh*thouse, physically obdurate roots.
Who better than the master of the low block? Sean Dyche sounds like Diet Pepsi compared to Mourinho’s Full Fat Coke.
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