Chelsea, Real Madrid, Saudi Arabia: List of jobs supposedly waiting for Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho is in the middle of several rumours surrounding his immediate future, including making a dramatic return to Chelsea for a third stint.

Mourinho was arguably the best manager Chelsea ever had. During the Roman Abramovich era, Mourinho was the only boss, apart from Guus Hiddink, who was given a second stint as Chelsea's manager.

Rumours around Mourinho's future

With Chelsea finding themselves in the market for a manager once again amid the sacking of two managers in a single season, they have been linked with Mourinho.

While Chelsea have brought in their former boss and legendary midfielder Frank Lampard as their caretaker manager for the remainder of the campaign, the Blues are on the lookout for a long-term replacement for Graham Potter. Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is not believed to be looking at making Lampard the club's permanent boss.

Mourinho, on the other hand, has reportedly rejected a possible chance to return to Real Madrid amid rumours of a possible homecoming at Stamford Bridge. The Blues are said to be preparing an enormous offer that would see the Portuguese manager earn around £18 million per season.

Amid strong links between the club and former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique, new reports have revealed that Chelsea have decided to keep track of Mourinho's situation at AS Roma. Mourinho has reportedly already received a call from Chelsea about the manager vacancy at the North London club. Chelsea have also contacted Mourinho's compatriot Nuno Espirito, former Wolves boss, about the same job, reported Spanish outlet Relevo.

Meanwhile, Mourinho has also received a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia over a two-year deal, reported Italian publication Corriere dello Sport. The Portuguese manager could earn a total salary of around £105 million across the two years, in which he could manage either Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal or the Saudi Arabia national team.

Earlier in the 2022-23 season, Chelsea sacked Thomas Tuchel, who led them to their second Champions League title in 2020, before firing his replacement Graham Potter last week. It is understood that the Blues could be looking at Mourinho to once again rescue the team that may not be playing in any European competition next season.

Mourinho's legacy at Chelsea

After leading Porto to a surprise Champions League title in 2004, Mourinho was roped in by Abramovich as Chelsea's new boss. Mourinho's first stint as Chelsea's boss was a huge success as he brought a lot of silverware to the North London club. In his maiden season in charge, 2004-05, Chelsea won the Premier League, which was a huge deal as it marked their first English top-flight victory since the 1954-55 season. Along with it, the Blues also won the League Cup.

Dubbed the "Special One" by the British media, Mourinho managed Chelsea to a second straight Premier League title in the 2005-06 season. In just over three years, Mourinho managed the Stamford Bridge side to two Premier League titles, two League Cups, and the FA Cup trophy before leaving in 2007.

With Abramovich's funding, Chelsea continued to splurge in every transfer window. Mourinho later left the club after creating an outline that would help the club on the road to European success as they finally won the Champions League in 2012.

Since Mourinho's departure in 2007, Chelsea never managed to stick with a manager for a long time as the club was looking for someone as capable as the Portuguese boss. After failing to find one, Abramovich decided to bring Mourinho back and he did in June 2013. Coming on the back of successful runs at Inter Milan and Real Madrid, Mourinho did not disappoint Chelsea.

Despite going through a transition, Chelsea, under Mourinho, finished third in the 2013-14 Premier League, behind Liverpool and champions Manchester City. The Blues went on to clinch the league title the following season. However, what was extraordinary was the way they won the title as they were at the top of the table for all 38 weeks of the season. Unfortunately, in December 2015, Chelsea sacked Mourinho, yet again, amid reports about disagreements between the Portuguese boss and the club's board.

Following Potter's sacking, Chelsea are currently in 11th place in the Premier League, 13 points behind Champions League spots.