Jose Mourinho's true feelings on Chelsea return emerged after Todd Boehly offer
Jose Mourinho has already been contacted by Chelsea ahead of a return to Stamford Bridge - but it's understood he rejected them.
Well before the self-proclaimed 'Special One' was sacked by Roma on Tuesday following a mixed two-and-a-half-year spell, he was linked with a move back to his beloved Blues. Having enjoyed two successful tenures in each of the past two decades, Mourinho was tipped for a sensational third stint in West London in May 2023.
The major difference was that this time he'd have been working under a new ownership regime led by Todd Boehly. A report from Corriere dello Sport claimed that the three-time Premier League winning-manager had been contacted by an unnamed Chelsea director who was keen to gauge Mourinho's interest regarding a potential return to Stamford Bridge.
He stayed loyal to Roma, though, and the reason given was that the Portuguese coach remained committed to seeing out the final year of his contract in the Italian capital. A few months before that, however, the Daily Mail had reported that Mourinho wanted to return to Chelsea.
That claim came soon after the ex-Manchester United, Tottenham and Real Madrid boss was linked with taking over the Portuguese national team, a move which also didn't materialise. 12 months on and now it's Mauricio Pochettino in charge, appointed by Boehly and co following Mourinho's alleged rejection.
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Despite the Blues sitting ninth in the Premier League table after 21 games, and needing to come from behind in their Carabao Cup semi-final second leg at home to Middlesbrough, Pochettino retains the backing of Chelsea's board. That was the same sort of language used during previous boss Graham Potter's final few months, so it's no sure-fire guarantee of his successor faring better.
With Mourinho now out of work, his main stumbling block has been removed and he'd potentially be open to another crack at managing the Blues. Speaking before Potter was axed in April 2023, the ex-Porto and Inter Milan boss told Sky Sports: "If you ask me do I have somebody that I would love to take over from 'my Chelsea' let's say that, yes, but I have but I close my mouth."
Your turn! Should Chelsea try to tempt Jose Mourinho again? Give us your verdict in the comments section.
"The club reached such a level that it doesn't matter who it's with but Chelsea will always be Chelsea. Chelsea will always be big and my house will always be 200 metres away from the stadium so I want to keep listening to the sound of happiness and success. I'm pretty sure it's going to be like that."
That wasn't the only time Mourinho hinted at his love for Chelsea while in Rome, saying the year prior: "Of course, my English connection is Chelsea, that's the way I see things, as a Chelsea man after two periods of Chelsea and six years."
If the vacancy was to open up, though, Blues legend Pat Nevin reckons that Mourinho would stand little chance of being offered a third spell. "In terms of the plan laid out by the owners, there's not a chance in a million Mourinho comes back," Nevin declared when speaking to OCB Scores.
"If you look at the plan of the club, that's not Jose Mourinho. It's not his style. He does other things which are fantastic but the last time he built up a young group like that was Porto. That’s not his methodology.
"If the club did go down that route I would be surprised but I wouldn’t be gobsmacked because there are things that the club have done which doesn't fit. I don't think it would make sense at all for Mourinho to come back as Chelsea manager but does that mean it won't happen, who knows"
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