After his stint with Italian outfit AS Roma came to a halt in January, veteran football coach Jose Mourinho may take over as the manager of Turkish giants Fenerbahce. With almost everything confirmed, he has reportedly added a unique clause in his contract. This clause will allow him to leave if he gets an offer to manage the Portuguese national team.
Mourinho is expected to sign a two-year contract with Fenerbahce, with an option for a third year, according to reports. This move comes after his sacking by Roma in January. His agent Jorge Mendes has been busy negotiating his move to Istanbul. Interestingly, Mourinho also had talks with Fenerbahce’s rivals Besiktas.
Fenerbahce had an impressive season, earning 99 points. Despite this, they missed out on the Turkish Super Lig title by just three points to Galatasaray. Mourinho’s goal will be to return Fenerbahce to the top of Turkish football for the first time since the 2013/14 season.
Yet, he is also keeping his options open for another opportunity. According to Calciomercato via NTV Sport, Mourinho insisted on including a clause in his contract. This clause allows him to be released if he receives an offer from the Portuguese national team. At 61, Mourinho has won trophies with club stints in Portugal, England, Italy and Spain but has never managed an international team.
Mourinho regrets not having tried international management. The Portugal national team approached him while he was still at Roma. He turned them down after Fernando Santos was dismissed, only to be sacked by Roma later. In January, Mourinho spoke about this situation, saying, “The fact that the president of the FPF said that I was not his first choice, but his only choice, makes me proud. But I decided not to go. I’m here and that’s what matters.”
Portugal ended up hiring Roberto Martinez. Mourinho believes he could be next in line for the job. In January, he publicly backed Martinez for success but also hinted at his future ambitions, saying, “If it has to happen someday, it will.” This shows that the job is still on his mind, even as he prepares for his new role with Fenerbahce in Istanbul.
In 2020, when he was managing Tottenham, Mourinho spoke about the prospect of managing a national team. “Yes, I want to coach a national team, I want to have the experience of a World Cup and European Championship, the emotion of the short competition,” he said. “Is Portugal the one I want to do? On one side yes as it is my heart. But it is very difficult to do it with the country you were born in,” he said,
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