Jose Mourinho answered to Louis van Gaal when they both were employed by Barcelona and if Mourinho had his way after being sacked by Chelsea he would have taken the place of his former mentor at Manchester United by now. Only it’s not working out like that.
It appears United, and indeed other potential suitors, have weighed up the gains brought by a Mourinho appointment against the chaos he leaves in his wake. Simply put, the clubs at which Mourinho works are shaken to their very foundations when he leaves.
The dying days of his second Chelsea spell featured disagreements with key players, allegations of faking injuries and even the bizarre sight of Diego Costa hurling his substitute's bib at the Special One. A monumental collapse is barely an adequate description of how Mourinho's league champions slumped once the wind was taken from their sails.
His ego, his brusque manner and the self-inflicted reputational damage have all caught up with him. One of the most successful managers of recent times is struggling for a club to take him on.United indeed had the chance to dispense with Van Gaal and hire Mourinho in December but elected not to. There has been no official approach by United to Mourinho, who won three league titles in two spells at Chelsea. There is, however, significant tension behind the scenes over any mooted move for Mourinho and it remains more likely that Sir Alex Ferguson’s preferred successor Ryan Giggs replaces Van Gaal in the long run.
The elite clubs who might once have clamoured over each other for a chance to appoint Mourinho don’t now want anything to do with him. Barcelona, despite some tensions at the beginning, are settled with Luis Enrique. Bayern Munich have replaced Pep Guardiola with Carlo Ancelotti as the Spaniard makes plans for life at Manchester City.
Antonio Conte is ready to step into the Chelsea breach, while his former club Juventus are set to announce a contract extension for Massimiliano Allegri. Laurent Blanc has just put pen to paper on a new deal at Paris St-Germain and it is unlikely now that the Qataris are for turning. There is no new major appointment on the horizon for Mourinho and it is increasingly unlikely that he ends up back at one of his old clubs now either.
Inter would be a refuge but the chances of a glorious return to San Siro are remote. For one, there is Mourinho’s salary, which would be northwards of €10m per season. A club like Inter, with FFP regulations to adhere to and a squad to overhaul, cannot afford to be spending that kind of money on a coach. Moreover, key ally Massimo Moratti is no longer president even if he still enjoys some influence around the club.
Mourinho and Moratti are known to swap messages and Mourinho was even in attendance as Inter beat Sampdoria at the Giuseppe Meazza at the end of last month.
The Inter fans would of course welcome him back with open arms having delivered their most successful season in history – the 2010 treble campaign. But for now Mourinho and Inter will remain a memory.
Despite rumours asserting that Mourinho was in the running to replace Rafael Benitez in December, the levels to which relationships had deteriorated between the Portuguese and key players following his spell at the Bernabeu meant that it was a non-starter.
Although there has been some rapprochement between Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo, the toxicity of relations with the likes of Sergio Ramos, Pepe and Marcelo mean Mourinho would never be welcome in this Real Madrid dressing room.
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