Ex-Chelsea star open to Jose Mourinho return amid Pochettino exit rumours

Cameron Smith

• 6 Feb 2024 11:00 GMT
• 3 min read

Former Chelsea forward Claudio Pizarro believes that Mauricio Pochettino’s uncertain future at Stamford Bridge means there is “a chance” that Jose Mourinho returns to the club for a third spell.

Pizarro spent just three months under Mourinho’s leadership at Chelsea after the Portuguese manager left in September 2007, but he would be open to seeing him return for a third stint.

The ex-Peru international followed Mourinho to the Chelsea exit door just nine months later and he returned to the Bundesliga after a one-year spell in west London.

However, with Pochettino facing questions regarding his job, Pizarro thinks that Mourinho could be an option for the Chelsea hierarchy.

“It could be a chance of course,” he told FootballTransfers when asked whether Mourinho could return to Chelsea if Pochettino is sacked.

“He was there [before], he knows exactly the club… Of course, I know they [Chelsea] are not doing really well in the Premier League, but in the end the board is going to decide where they want to go.

“It’s very sad to see the team playing at the moment like this, but it could be a chance of course that Jose could come back to the team. He knows exactly the club and it’s going to be a decision that Chelsea have to make.”

Jose Mourinho to return to Chelsea?

Mourinho is currently out of work after being sacked by AS Roma in January and he is the third-favourite to become Chelsea’s next manager, according to the bookies.

During his first spell at Stamford Bridge, Mourinho won two Premier League titles, two League Cups, the FA Cup and the Community Shield, while he backed that up with another Premier League and League Cup triumph during his second stint at the club.

He was sacked by Chelsea in December 2015, after losing nine of their opening 16 Premier League matches during the 2015-16 season.