What Next for Mourinho?

What Next for Mourinho?

There was little surprise when it happened as Manchester United had been struggling for some time but Jose Mourinho lost his job at Old Trafford over a month ago.  While Manchester United have improved since his departure and their future looks bright, what about the Portuguese manager?

Mourinho has appeared on television for beIN Sports and has been more than happy to tell stories of his previous jobs.  He also touched on the problems with management in the modern era and some of the challenges he faced at Manchester United.

Jose Mourinho
Pic. Jose Mourinho

The former Real Madrid manager has made it clear he will return to football management and wants to do so at the highest level.  The question is, what is next for Mourinho?

Return to Madrid

Interestingly, prior to his own departure from Manchester United, Real Madrid sacked their manager who has been replaced by Santiago Solari.  The Argentine is only in temporary control of the team and results have not been good enough to suggest he could get the job permanently.

That means the biggest managerial job in football is going to be up for grabs this summer and Mourinho appears to be in the frame.  The 55-year-old won La Liga during his previous spell at the club and only once since have Real Madrid won the Spanish title.  They have not dominated Spanish football for some time and SkyBet offer 5/2 for Mourinho to return to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Mourinho has managed in Portugal, England, Italy and Spain, which leaves France and Germany as the two big leagues in Europe where he is yet to test himself.

PSG an Option

Paris Saint-Germain are the only club in France which would have the resources to tempt a manager of Mourinho’s stature.  Since 2011, PSG have had four manages, Carlo Ancelotti, Laurent Blanc, Unai Emery and current boss, Thomas Tuchel.  Other than Tuchel, who was appointed this season, they each won the Ligue 1 title but not one of them won the Champions League.

If Tuchel fails to win the Champions League, his job will be on the line and the owners may see Mourinho as the ideal candidate.  Mourinho has won the Champions League with Porto and Inter Milan and the French giants are 5/1 with Betfair to be his next destination.

Bayern a Possibility

As highlighted above, the Bundesliga in Germany is the other major European league where Mourinho is yet to manage.  If Bayern Munich fail to win the title this season, which is a possibility, the managerial position could become vacant and the Bavarian’s are 8/1 with Betfair to be Mourinho’s next job in football.

Other potential options include the Portuguese national team, which would signal Mourinho’s first foray into international management at 6/1 and the Qatar national team, who are hosting the next World Cup, also at 6/1.