Jose Mourinho’s second stint as Chelsea boss has come to an inevitable end.
After winning the Premier League at a canter last season, many believed the Portuguese had finally found the perfect balance that would allow him to stick around for more than his customary three years.
But after amassing just 15 points from 16 games, The Special One is once again The Unemployed One.
So what’s next for a man who already has two Champions League titles to his name at the relatively young age of 52? Here are five possible landing spots for Jose Mourinho:
Real Madrid
They say you should never go back, but Mourinho has already shown he’s not afraid to revisit his past. Sure his time in the Spanish capital ended poorly, but if he (briefly) patched things up with Roman Abramovich then surely he can find a way to do the same with Florentino Pérez.
Mourinho spoke very recently about his desire to return to Los Blancos and with Rafael Benitez’s side currently sitting in third place, five points behind both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, a move would make sense – by the logic of Real Madrid, anyway.
There’s no doubt the Mourinho regrets not being in charge when Real won La Decima and he would take particular pleasure in succeeding Benitez, given their antagonistic history.
Paris Saint-Germain
Jose Mourinho taking over at PSG seems so inevitable that it almost feels lazy to say it. With the club currently running away with he league with embarrassing ease, it’s not immediately obvious why the Parisians would part ways with current coach Laurent Blanc. But conquering Ligue 1 was never the end-goal for the PSG project.
Just like at Chelsea, the owners of PSG want to win the Champions League more than anything. Under Blanc, however, they have yet to make it past the quarter-finals. Mourinho, meanwhile, has won Europe’s elite tournament with two different clubs.
Having been sacked twice by Chelsea and once by Real Madrid, Mourinho is running out the so-called “super clubs” to take charge of, so PSG may be the only available option to match his ambition.
England
There are very few moves Jose Mourinho could make that would challenge him like taking over the England job if Roy Hodgson steps down or is forced out after Euro 2016. He’s been a club man his whole career, and it’s unclear whether or not his tactical plans could be implemented in the quick turnaround of an international break.
But international management might be the best step for Mourinho. His relationships with his players famously sizzle out after three years of constant interaction, so perhaps having his influence spread out over the course of a season would allow him to survive for longer.
The only problem with this – besides his inability to spend on big-name signings – is that someone as controlling as the Portuguese may get bored with so little to do between matches.
https://twitter.com/BainsXIII/status/677507401860448257
Manchester United
The Special One has made no secret of his desire to take over at Old Trafford, and the stars might finally be aligning to allow a deal to happen. Alex Ferguson admitted his mistake in choosing David Moyes as his successor when many thought he would pick Mourinho, but with Louis van Gaal under pressure, the timing could be right.
The Portuguese was obviously hurt by Ferguson’s snub, but we doubt that would be enough for him to turn down an advance from the Red Devils. A faction of United fans have been praying for The Special One to take over from the second Ferguson left, while others don’t believe his attitude is becoming of the Old Trafford dugout.
It would no doubt cause Chelsea fans a great deal of pain to see Mourinho if he were to do well at United, and we’re sure fans of Arsenal and Man City would rather see him go further afield.
Bayern Munich
This one is the most outlandish, but it’s one we’d love to see happen. Speculation about Pep Guardiola’s future has reached its highest peak since 2013 as the Spaniard refuses to sign a new contract with Bayern.
We could potentially see the incredibly rare case of two managers replacing each other, as Chelsea will no doubt be try to tempt Guardiola to London.
While Bayern might not be interested in Mourinho’s confrontational, defensive style, it’s definitely a job that should interest The Special One as the Bundesliga is the one big European league he has yet to manage in.
