Now, we of course take these kind of reports with a pinch of salt, but can you imagine Jose Mourinho and Daniel Levy working at the same club…
Let’s start with that report linking Mourinho with a sensational return to management. With Mauricio Pochettino struggling to galvanize his slumping Tottenham squad, his friend Mourinho is reportedly waiting in the wings to replace him.
A report from the Daily Mail says that Mourinho wants to take over at Spurs should the job become available.
Mourinho, 56, has been out of work since being sacked by Manchester United last December and is waiting for the right opportunity to crop up. Is this it?
At Porto, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Inter Milan he won titles and even at United he won the Europa League and League Cup and finished second in the Premier League. Mourinho would probably see the Tottenham job as something similar to Porto, a club where he could play the underdog role as Spurs’ finances aren’t on the same level as Europe’s elite.
But would his style of management really work with Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Co.? It didn’t seem to work with the younger players at United last time out and unless he has transformed his management style, and his personality, radically over the past 10 months it is unlikely Mourinho is going to change his methods that much.
Spurs would probably be able to attract big name players to play for Mourinho, but Levy would likely be unwilling to pay them huge money to do so. This link seems like a bit of a non-starter, no matter if Pochettino is fired (which seems highly-unlikely given all he has achieved at Spurs) or leaves in the coming months. Max Allegri has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Pochettino and seems a much better fit.
Mourinho will probably be back in management sooner than we all think, and the bookmakers have made him the new favorite to be Spurs’ next manager.
As for another ailing Premier League club linked with a new manager, Manchester United have reportedly made young German coach Julian Nagelsmann their top target if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is fired.
With United in 12th place and struggling under Solskjaer, the Red Devils are hesitant to fire the club legend but another report from Adrian Kajumba in the Daily Mail claims that Nageslmann is the man United (no pun intended) are looking at closely.
The report says that United are gathering plenty of information on the current RB Leipzig manager who is just 32 years old, and are keen to make him their manager one day, even if it isn’t imminently. Nagelsmann is in his first season in charge of Leipzig and is contracted to the Bundesliga side until 2023.
Nagelsmann has already managed Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga (he started that role at 28 years old) and is a rising star in European soccer after leading them to a top four finish.
Solskjaer could hang on until the summer and be given another transfer window to bolster his attack, but if things don’t work out for the Norwegian after United’s worst start to a season in 30 years, Nagelsmann will be right at the top of their list as they aim to turn things around.
