Legendary football manager Jose Mourinho is available after having been sacked suddenly by Italian Serie A side AS Roma earlier this month. However, he is not expected to be on vacation for long, with a lot of speculations already surrounding his next destination. Despite strong links with Saudi Pro League side Al Shabab, the Portuguese manager said that he is still undecided on where he will go next.
Mourinho is perhaps best known for his highly successful stints with Premier League side Chelsea FC during the Roman Abramovich era. He was also recently in charge of Manchester United, and had won trophies with the likes of Porto, Real Madrid and Inter Milan.
He is a highly coveted manager, and it comes as no surprise that the Saudi Pro League is ready to shell out some big bucks to reel him in. However, the 60-year-old flew to Barcelona over the weekend and said that he is not joining Al Shabab.
Reports about an alleged “verbal agreement” between Mourinho and the club made the rounds last week, but he told Marca that no such agreement has been made. However, he did not rule out the possibility of finding a job in the Middle East in the future.
Last summer, he was being wooed by Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal, but “The Special One” opted to stay in Rome. Back in October, he revealed that he is very open to exploring the oil-rich state for possible job opportunities in the future.
He said at the time: “I will go to Saudi Arabia in some free time, but I am convinced that I will work there. I don’t know when, but I am pretty sure of it. No one knows the future, but I will definitely do this [working in Saudi Arabia].” That visit may come sooner rather than later in light of the recent developments.
Mourinho’s legacy in Rome
While he was unceremoniously sacked in the middle of the 2023-24 season Mourinho has left an undeniable legacy in the Italian capital. He led Roma to the Europa Conference League title in his first season in charge. The following year, he led the club all the way to the Europa League final before losing the title to Spanish side Sevilla.
However, the current campaign has been mediocre at best, with Roma sitting all the way down in ninth place at the table at the time of his exit. They lost five of their last six league games before Roma owners Dan and Ryan Friedkin made the decision to sack their manager.
The club’s statement read: “We thank Jose on behalf of all of us at AS Roma for the passion and commitment he has shown since his arrival in the Giallorossi.
“We will always have great memories of his stewardship, but we believe that, in the best interests of the club, immediate change is necessary. We wish Jose and his collaborators the best for the future.”
The Saudi Pro League has been attracting some of the biggest names in world football since last January. The signing of Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United was like a dam breaking between European football and the Middle East.
Over the summer, the likes of Neymar Jr., Karim Benzema, Roberto Firminho and Sadio Mane all moved to different Saudi Pro League sides. While Ronaldo has thrived there, some of the others have had a miserable time. Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson for example, barely lasted six months before terminating his contract with Al Ettifaq to join Ajax.
Likewise, Benzema is reportedly eyeing a return to Europe after having had an underwhelming season so far with Al Ittihad. It remains to be seen if Mourinho will dip his toes into the desert sands, or if he will sit back and proceed with caution before choosing his next destination.
