Mourinho’s Job Prospects Looking Good

Jose Mourinho’s job prospects aren’t looking too shabby right now. He’s already the favourite to replace Steve McClaren and become the next obscenely well paid England manager, even though Mourinho himself only has eyes for managing his own country. Speaking of which, the Portugal job could well be available in a few months, once Euro 2008 is finished. But the feeling is that The Special One will stay in club football, and there’s one job that has to look very tempting right about now.

AC Milan. One of THE big names in European football, with plenty of history, plenty of money and the Champions League trophy in their possession as we speak. But they have their problems. Today’s 1-0 loss at home to Roma makes it five straight games without victory at the San Siro, with hopes of a Scudetto disappearing fast as they wallow down in mid-table obscurity. Milan fans are not happy. And Silvio Berlusconi can’t be too happy either, which means Carlo Ancelotti’s position could very well be under threat, Champions League or not. If there were no suitable managerial replacements, Ancelotti might not have to worry. But Berlusconi must be tempted by the prospect of bringing in a high profile coach with a great track record like Mourinho.

From Mourinho’s perspective, there are several positives about the Milan job: Italy is a new culture, which he’d enjoy, and he’s already mentioned that he’s brushing up on his Italiano. You get a massive club that’s underperforming, but also a club in need of lots of fresh talent. The average age in the Milan dressing room is somewhere in the mid 70s, so everyone’s favourite Portugeezer might enjoy the freedom to reconstruct the team in his own image. Last but not least, there’s Mourinho’s best buddy. Didier Drogba has already announced his intention to leave Chelsea in the summer of 2008, and listed just four clubs he wants to play for. Milan were one of them, and with Mourinho there it would seem an inevitable transfer. The chances of Andriy Shevchenko joining him there are probably not good.

Questions for Milan fans: Would you prefer Ancelotto to stay? Would you be behind appointing The Special One? Would you trust him to spend large sums of money (his transfer record isn’t 100%) and rebuild the team? Would there be a personality clash with Berlusconi?

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Category: Serie A