Mourinho drops another Saudi hint after record offer
Tom Weber
- 22 Nov 2023 12:51 CST
- 3 min read
After reportedly receiving a record offer, Jose Mourinho has doubled down on his previous quotes stating that he will one day coach in Saudi Arabia.
The Portuguese legend is out of contract at Roma in the summer and the current signs are not pointing towards an extension. There have been many rumours that the former Chelsea and Man Utd boss does not see eye-to-eye with the Italian club's owner Dan Friedkin and the latter allegedly wanted to fire Mourinho earlier in the season but was talked out of it by the club's sporting director.
Speculation about the 60-year-old's future continues to abound. Mourinho rejected a lucrative offer from a Saudi club in the summer in favour of staying with Roma but he could be free to move to the Middle East in the not-too-distant future.
Indeed, in October he told MBC Egypt, “I will go to Saudi Arabia in some free time, but I am convinced that I will work there. I don’t know when, but I am pretty sure of it. I am committed to my work with Roma and I want to give everything to the club until the last day. No one knows the future, but I will definitely do this."
Mourinho doubles down
Now, Mourinho has reportedly received a fresh offer that has been described as "historic" and would see him beat Steven Gerrard to the honour of being the Saudi Pro League's best-paid coach, becoming the third-highest-paid manager in the world in the process.
If true, it is maybe no coincidence that new quotes from the Portuguese have now surfaced in which he doubles down on what he previously said about working in Saudi Arabia. “I’ll tell you the truth," he told Rai 2, "I think I’ll go there one day. But when I say ‘one day’ I don’t mean tomorrow or the day after.”
Asked about a potential return to Real Madrid given that Carlo Ancelotti is also in the midst of contract uncertainty, Mourinho responded: “Me at Real Madrid? When you have a super coach, why should you think of another?...I hope that the season goes fantastically and that next season Carlo is still there because I think he is the perfect coach for Real Madrid.”
