Chelsea sent Mourinho message with Pochettino under pressure

Robin Bairner

• 17 Jan 2024 05:31 CST
• 2 min read

Chelsea have been told that Jose Mourinho would have “no hesitation” in returning to the club for a third stint in the dugout after he was sacked by Roma on Tuesday.

Mourinho was dismissed by the Serie A club for a poor run of form that has seen them win only one of their last six league matches, including three successive away defeats to Bologna, Juventus and Milan.

Speculation has linked the 60-year-old with a potential return to Chelsea, where Mauricio Pochettino has not made a flying start since taking over the club in the summer.

New owner Todd Boehly has not shown a great deal of patience with managers, with Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard all taking charge of the first team for extended periods last season.

With the pressure mounting on Pochettino as Chelsea lie a disappointing ninth in the Premier League, despite huge amounts of money being poured into the team over the course of the last three transfer windows, it has been speculated that Mourinho could be in line to take command for a third time.

“There would be no hesitation from Jose Mourinho to return to Chelsea, that is true,” Fraser Gillan reports. “However, it is not on the cards, Chelsea sticking with Pochettino and have no plans to replace him.

“Mourinho now looking for his next project since leaving Roma.”

Mourinho nine years away

Mourinho was last in charge of Chelsea from 2013-15, during which time he led the team to the Premier League title in 2014/15 and also oversaw League Cup glory that same term.

His first stint in charge of the club had come in 2004-07, when he famously branded himself as the ‘Special One’ after leading Porto to an unlikely Champions League title a matter of days earlier. He won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups during this time.

Mourinho has also managed Inter, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Tottenham during his illustrious career.