Jose Mourinho wants to manage an English team NOT playing in Europe – and fans are already trying to persuade him to come to their club.
‘The Special One’ gave a box office post-match interview on Thursday after getting sent off against Manchester United, as Fenerbahce drew 1-1 with his former club in the Europa League.
But one section of his interview in particular has stuck in supporters’ heads – Mourinho’s request to manage a side in ‘England from the bottom of the table’ after his spell with Fenerbahce.
It did not take long for fans to start calling talkSPORT and begging the ex-Chelsea, Man United and Tottenham boss to consider their side.
Newcastle fan Scottie told the Sports Bar Mourinho would be a ‘perfect replacement’ for Eddie Howe.
He said: “I would never want Eddie Howe to leave, but it’s more if Eddie Howe were to get sacked I would love Jose to come in.
“It’s the Bobby Robson connection. Jose Mourinho was his understudy at Barcelona. It’s more the legacy. If Eddie Howe was to go, as much as I wouldn’t like it, Jose would be the perfect replacement.”
The Geordies did compete in Europe last season after finishing fourth and qualifying for the Champions League the season prior, but a seventh place finish last term saw them miss out.
Next came talkSPORT producer and Brentford fan ‘No Tan Dan’, with the Bees yet to have a European campaign since their promotion to the Premier League in 2021.
“I would have him at Brentford in an absolute heartbeat,” he told talkSPORT Breakfast. “I just wanted to say that.
“If Thomas Frank wanted to leave, to be honest, if Thomas Frank wasn’t wanting to leave, we’re in the last 16 of the League Cup, get Jose Mourinho in.
“You’ve got to remember, 10 years ago we were in League One getting promoted under Mark Warburton. Surely now we’ve been in the Premier League for a couple of years, we wouldn’t be too snobbish to say ‘no, we don’t want Jose Mourinho’.
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“Come on, I would have him in an absolute heartbeat! Come on Jose!”
It’s easy to see why fans would want Mourinho at their club.
Aside from being a Premier League icon for winning the title three times with Chelsea, there is also never a dull moment.
And ex-Blues defender Jason Cundy thinks another London club would be the right place for ‘The Special One’ to go next – struggling West Ham.
Assessing the teams at the bottom of the table capable of attracting Mourinho, he said: “He might win West Ham something, he might win them a League Cup, but you know what, he will leave the club in under a cloud. That’s how he always leaves clubs.”
His Sports Bar co-host Jamie O’Hara agreed: “There’s only one team that really can get him that aren’t in Europe. It’s West Ham. West Ham, just because of the stadium, because of the club.”
Cundy continued: “He’s not going to go to [Crystal] Palace. Wolves, Southampton, Ipswich don’t need him, Everton. No. It feels like West Ham. All I can think of is West Ham right now.”
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The pair debated if Everton would be a good fit if Sean Dyche’s spell didn’t work out, citing how exciting he would be at the new stadium and in the Merseyside derby.
“Everton and West Ham. Come on, pull your finger out. Go and get Mourinho,” O’Hara said.
West Ham, who have won just once in their last five Premier League games, face Man United at the weekend – and Cundy joked Erik ten Hag could help facilitate his move to the London Stadium if more pressure is piled on Julen Lopetegui.
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“Ten Hag could do [Mourinho] a favour,” he said. “Imagine if they beat West Ham, if West Ham get beat. Eight points they’re on. Would West Ham fans have Jose?”
Mourinho’s last spell as a Premier League manager came with Spurs from 2019 to 2021.
He’s been at Fenerbahce since the summer after being sacked by Roma in January.
