Pressing Issues

• Former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho recently revealed his desire to return to the Premier League.
• The three time Premier League winner cites that he seeks a club “that doesn’t play in a UEFA competition”, but also that he would “never” go to a team fighting relegation – so where could he go?

Mourinho’s initial comment can be interpreted as a dig at UEFA in reaction to his sending off against Manchester United the other week, but in a Sky Sports interview he made it very clear that it “was a joke, but a joke with feelings”, and appeared supportive of the idea that he will return to the Premier League when his Fenerbache contract expires at the end of the 2025/26 season.

The question begs then, where would Mourinho go? Where would he consider competitive enough to be a good opportunity, but also a team who wouldn’t play in European competition? And, the most important question of all: who would take him?

The Revival of Everton

In a move that would read like a Football Manager transfer, and potentially disregarding Everton’s current proximity to the relegation zone, Mourinho embarking on a Merseyside project in search of a Toffees resurgence is at the very least a fun prospect to consider.

But when you look into it a little deeper, there are various factors that could tempt the 61-year-old into making what will be the new Everton Stadium his new home.

While current manager Sean Dyche can probably be trusted to keep his side in the Premier League, it seems unlikely that he will be chosen as the man to take the club forward.

As one of six ever present clubs in the Premier League, Everton can be considered a sleeping giant: they have the fanbase, history and impending new owners (courtesy of The Friedkin Group), all of which could catch the eye of Jose Mourinho. Interestingly, Dan Friedkin was also the man who both hired and fired Mourinho at Roma, yet the Portuguese-man would remain first choice for the American billionaire.

They are at the very least a few years away from European contention, but an Everton success story would no doubt have the romance and spectacle that Mourinho has become known for.

European Nights at St James’ Park

Eddie Howe has performed well since his arrival at Newcastle. Despite the Saudi takeover, transformations such as Anthony Gordon’s career revival, and Joelinton’s transition from a frustrating striker to a top level midfielder can be attributed to Howe’s coaching.

Yet, Newcastle higher ups could well be considering other options. Howe has turned Newcastle from a relegation-fighting side into a European contender, but the track record of Jose Mourinho could turn the heads of decision makers.

Despite his comments about not wanting to manage a team playing in European competition, the allure of taking Newcastle United to the Premier League’s top four, compounded with the prospect of Champions League nights at St James’ Park, could well convince Mourinho to take on the challenge.

With a return to Manchester United, Chelsea or Tottenham ruled out, and the impossibility of a role at Manchester City, Liverpool or Arsenal, Newcastle seem to be the only club with the status Mourinho would desire if he still has ambitions to manage at the elite level.

Mourinho Blowing Bubbles

“London is my home” Mourinho said in his recent Sky Sports interview, but with every other London seemingly an impossibility (Crystal Palace don’t have the ‘status’ that Mourinho would want, Brentford are very set in their ways etc.), West Ham United appear to be the only London club that Mourinho could consider.

West Ham’s promising squad, strong fanbase and recent European success will catch the eye of Mourinho – and their current struggles under Julen Lopetegui mean that a job vacancy could well arise in the near future.

However, Mourinho has maintained his intention to see out his Fenerbache contract, with his love for the club and Turkish football superseding an immediate desire to return to England.

As a result, the West Ham job could too become an impossibility. Unless Lopetegui turns it around, he is unlikely to see out the rest of the season, and the appointment of another manager could mean that by the time the 2026/27 rolls around, the West Ham job is unavailable. It seems highly unlikely that Mourinho will manage in London upon his return to the Premier League.