Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
JOSE JOINS ROMA AFTER 15 DAYS
Mourinho is back with Italian giants saving Spurs a fortune
JOSE MOURINHO has shocked the football world by returning to management just 15 days after his Tottenham sacking.
Italian giants Roma said Mourinho has signed a three-year contract from the start of next season.
It signals the return of the biggest name in football management – and is set to save Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy millions.
Mourinho, 58, had two years left on his £15milliona-year contract in north London but, because he has landed another job, Spurs won’t have to stump up a mega pay-off.
Roma, who have not won the Italian championship since 2001, were thrashed 6-2 by Manchester United in the Europa League last week. The return leg is tomorrow.
They are stuck in seventh place in Serie A under Paulo Fonseca, who will leave at the end of the season.
Club president Dan Friedkin and vice-president Ryan Friedkin somehow managed to keep the high-profile appointment quiet until it was announced yesterday.
Mourinho, who endured a difficult 18 months in charge of Spurs, said: “Thank you to the Friedkin family for choosing me to lead this great club and to be part of their vision. After meetings with the ownership, I immediately understood the full extent of their ambitions for AS Roma.
“It is the same ambition and drive that has always motivated me and together we want to build a winning project over the upcoming years. The incredible passion of the Roma fans convinced me to accept the job and I cannot wait to start next season.
“In the meantime, I wish Paulo Fonseca all the best.”
In the Italian capital the Special One will be reunited with former England defender Chris Smalling, who played under him at Manchester United.
It could be an awkward reunion because Mourinho famously questioned Smalling’s ability after United’s Europa League triumph in 2017. And he also doubted the big defender’s desire to play through the pain barrier when he was injured – only for it to be later revealed Smalling had a double fracture in his toe.
Mourinho also had difficulties with Roma’s veteran winger Pedro during their time together at Chelsea and, while at Old Trafford in 2018, he off-loaded Henrikh Mkhitaryan to Arsenal in a swap deal for Alexis Sanchez as he did not rate the Armenia midfielder.
Mourinho will also go head to head with Inter Milan boss Antonio Conte, another old rival.
The former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Porto boss enjoyed glorious success in Italy when in charge of Inter, with whom he won the Champions League in 2010.
The 2-0 defeat of Bayern Munich in the final clinched the treble for Inter. But he faces a much tougher task in Rome with bookies making Roma 16-1 chances for the Serie A title next term.
Tiago Pinto, Roma’s general manager, said the appointment of Mourinho was a no-brainer. “When Jose became available, we immediately jumped at the chance to speak with one of the greatest managers of all time,” he said. “We were blown away by Jose’s desire to win and his passion for the game. No matter how many trophies he has won, his primary focus is always on the next one.
“He possesses the knowledge, experience and leadership to compete at all levels.
“We know that in order to build a successful sporting project it takes time, patience and the right people in the right positions. We are supremely confident that Jose will be the perfect coach for our project, for both our immediate and long-term future.”