The temptation is to think that after his dismissal was announced by Roma on Tuesday morning, Jose Mourinho is finished as a top-tier manager.
Season 3 Syndrome strikes again. Its ultimate toxicity, where everything burns out after a few positive years, is so entrenched now that it's basically a guarantee.
He has now been sacked by four clubs in a row, all due to poor results, unlike the first half of his career when he decided when he was going to finish somewhere or left due to personality clashes. The league positions of these teams when he was dismissed were sixteenth (Chelsea), sixth (Manchester United), seventh (Tottenham Hotspur) and ninth (Roma). He won three of those four (Spurs were the exception, although that job was a hospital pass from the start), but in the end, the illustrious trophies were left in a smoldering pile of rubble.
Any club president, owner, president, or CEO of a reasonable sized club will, at the very least, pause to think before answering the phone. Is it worth the trouble? Is the short-term success he's likely to achieve worth the emotional hit you'll take?
On some level, you might question the logic and basic judgment of anyone who hires him. Scorched Earth is less a byproduct these days than a brand. In the past, when he soiled himself to attract attention in public, it was seen as a way to protect his players, drawing all the attention and hate to himself and away from them. But these days, it's a matter of self-preservation, to assert that a factor other than himself was responsible for the last negative result, the failed signing or the FA accusation.
But someone will always press the big red button marked “Jose.” Football is a short-term game now, so why think beyond year three, let alone beyond that? Only five current Premier League managers have been in charge longer than that anyway. Four in the Spanish League. Only two in the Italian League. Take your prizes and then throw them away. He may be running on the fumes of his genius these days, but the fumes can still get you somewhere.
Again, those awards. Even in the post-Real Madrid era, at the clubs that sacked him, he won the Premier League with Chelsea and the Europa League and League Cup with Manchester United, where he claimed a second-place finish in 2017 as one of history's finest achievements. His career doesn't look so ridiculous now. They also won the Conference League in Rome, their first European title since the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1961 and their first ever since 2008.
It is also still very popular among people. A large group of Roma fans still love him despite recent results, and in many ways, he is the perfect manager for an increasingly paranoid fan culture where many are convinced there is some sort of conspiracy against their club. If you want someone to pour gasoline on your sense of injustice, he's your man.
It doesn't take long to make a list of possible places he could go.
There is Saudi Arabia. Mourinho claimed last year that he had turned down “the biggest offer ever for a coach” in football, and later said he was “convinced” he would one day work there. You might imagine his agent's phone is already ringing.
There is Newcastle. Eddie Howe's position does not appear to be in immediate jeopardy, but if results continue to follow the current trajectory, that could change. Newcastle's owners are not yet drawn by star power, so appointing Mourinho would be out of character, but at some point, they could adopt the attitude that they need someone to 'take them to the next level', however a misguided notion that Mourinho is that man.
There's Chelsea. It sounds silly, but don't completely rule it out. Their lack of progress this season may not be Mauricio Pochettino's fault, but their owners' patience will only extend so far. In a recent survey he conducted The athlete– 30% of Chelsea fans said they would bring Mourinho back. Not an overwhelming mandate, but probably more than you thought still holds a candle to it.
There is Real Madrid. Again, don't rule it out. Carlo Ancelotti may have signed a new contract recently, but contracts don't matter much to Florentino Perez once the worm turns and it seems Perez still loves Mourinho, they still talk, the flame is still alive.
There is Porto. An emotional return to the club where he achieved his first dazzling success seems rather fitting. Manager Sergio Conceicao is not very popular after a difficult (by his standards) season in which he is trailing league leaders Sporting Lisbon. It also raises the possibility of Mourinho working with Andre Villas-Boas. His former coach, with whom he had a spectacular falling out after Villas-Boas showed scandalous disloyalty by leaving Mourinho's Inter Milan staff to be sacked on their own, is running for the Porto presidency. He also appears to have a reasonable chance of unseating Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa, who has been in office since 1982.
There is Türkiye. It's written either Galatasaray or Fenerbahce, right? Imagine how he would thrive in a country that seems to despise rulers and encourage conspiracy even more than he does.
There is the American League. There's only one job available and with the utmost respect for Minnesota as a team and place, it's hard to imagine him swinging by there, but the prospect of a more glamorous place could appeal to his still-important ego.
Finally, there is international management. He has said in the past that he would like to coach a national team at some point. That was supposed to be the last gig of his career, but times have changed. It was supposed to be Portugal, but Roberto Martinez's foot is under the table and he probably won't be going anywhere for a while.
What about the United States of America? Gregg Berhalter's contract runs until the 2026 World Cup, but a poor performance in the Copa America this summer could change that and the authorities may not want to go to a World Cup on home soil with the possibility of embarrassment. There has been talk of Brazil, even if a) they just got a new head coach and b) it's hard to imagine a less 'Jojo Bonito' coach if you tried.
In many ways, the international gig may be the best for everyone: those who are not Mourinho fans and those who love him. The former category can largely ignore him most of the time, while the latter category can gobble up the raw and undrafted Jose every couple of years in the major leagues.
Mourinho is on a downward path. The charisma and magnetism of his early years are gone, but people will always be impressed by even the remaining shred of his star power. People will still think he can be the guy to lift them up. To reiterate this point, people will remember that he is still a manager capable of delivering success, tangible or otherwise.
If you thought this was the end for Jose Mourinho, think again.
(Top Image: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
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