Mourinho distances himself from Newcastle job
Martin Macdonald
- 16 Oct 2021 16:41 BST
- 3 min read
Jose Mourinho says he is not currently interested in taking over at Newcastle because he is fully focused on his job at Roma.
Last week, shockwaves were sent through the football world after the news broke that the Magpies had been bought over by Saudi money.
They are now one of the richest clubs on earth and are expected to spend big money both on new players and club infrastructure to try and join Europe's elite.
Steve Bruce is currently in charge, but is current 1/14 hot favourite to be the next Premier League manager sacked, with the new regime looking to bring in a higher profile coach.
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Mourinho is one of the names that has been doing the rounds in relation to the job, but the Portuguese insists his links to Newcastle lie with former mentor Bobby Robson, not to do with any job applications.
"I have nothing to say about Newcastle," he told reporters.
"I worked with Mr. [Bobby] Robson [at Barcelona], one of the greatest in the history of the club, and I have always had a connection with those people and that city that I know well by now.
"But nothing more. I am 100 per cent focused on the project with Roma"
Who will be Newcastle's next manager?
Next permanent Newcastle manager
| Manager | Odds |
|---|---|
| Unai Emery | 6/1 |
| Frank Lampard | 6/1 |
| Steven Gerrard | 8/1 |
| Lucien Favre | 12/1 |
| Antonio Conte | 14/1 |
| Roberto Martinez | 14/1 |
| Brendan Rodgers | 16/1 |
| Paulo Fonseca | 20/1 |
| Graeme Jones | 20/1 |
| Zinedine Zidane | 25/1 |
According to Oddschecker, current Villarreal head coach Unai Emery is the favourite to take over Bruce as manager if and when the new owners decide to sack their current boss.
Emery previously managed in the Premier League with Arsenal before losing his job. He has also been in charge high profile clubs Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain.
Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard as second and third favourites, respectively, at 6/1 and 8/1.
The former Chelsea boss is currently unemployed after his spell at Stamford Bridge, while Gerrard is fresh off a Scottish Premiership title win with Rangers in 2020/21.
As we look further down the list, we see more fanciful names like Antonio Conte and Zinedine Zidane.
