Chelsea fans singing for Jose Mourinho should not expect a reunion, with sources on both sides downplaying the chances of the three-time Premier League winner ever returning to Stamford Bridge.
The unemployed 61-year-old’s name was called out during Saturday’s disappointing 2-2 draw with Brentford, while supporters also called for Mauricio Pochettino’s sacking at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Contacts close to Mourinho have refused to say whether or not he would be willing to return, although they believe there is no appetite at Chelsea to appoint him for a third term.
Insiders at the club have echoed this statement, with one person involved in the new project suggesting it would send the wrong message if they returned to the face of the old owner.
Instead, Mail Sport reported in February that Chelsea have long been interested in another Portuguese manager: Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim. Amorim is expected to receive a number of other offers this summer, including Liverpool’s involvement in their search for Jurgen Klopp’s successor.
Chelsea supporters should not expect Jose Mourinho (above) to return to Stamford Bridge
Mauricio Pochettino is going through a turbulent spell at Chelsea – losing the Carabao Cup final before a disappointing 2-2 draw against Brentford – but still has the backing of the Blues board
Contacts close to Mourinho have refused to say whether or not he would be willing to return, but they believe there is no appetite at Chelsea to appoint him for a third term.
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Chelsea insist they are still backing Pochettino, who faces a nerve-wracking end to his first season in charge. The hierarchy are naturally wary of what happened last season when they sacked Graham Potter in April and won just one of their remaining ten Premier League games, finishing 12th.
Pochettino faces a planned summer review, with European football proving to be a crucial factor in whether he continues in his role.
Chelsea are currently eleventh in the Premier League, but are in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, the winners of which qualify for the Europa League. They will next face Championship team Leicester at Stamford Bridge in that competition.
As well as Amorim, Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi has also been linked with Chelsea – with many of the 44-year-old’s former colleagues currently at Stamford Bridge.
Mourinho, who led Roma to back-to-back European finals during his time at the club, was sacked by the Italian giants in February after dropping to ninth in Serie A.
The acrimonious departure ended when Mourinho left a cheeky nine-word note saying: ‘If you are men, give it back to me.’
As for Chelsea, insiders say it seems unlikely that the west London club will ‘give back’ the managerial role, despite Mourinho having had the most successful portfolio at Stamford Bridge during the Premier League era.
The Portuguese manager won a total of eight trophies with Chelsea during two separate spells at Stamford Bridge, winning back-to-back Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006 before triumphing again in 2015.
Chelsea take on Newcastle at Stamford Bridge on Monday evening and could move within a point of the Magpies with a win before their crucial quarter-final against the Foxes starts six days later.
Wolves, Coventry, Newcastle, Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United are the remaining six teams still in the competition.
Mourinho is Chelsea’s most successful boss of the Premier League era, winning eight trophies
The Blues are more interested in appointing Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim (left) or Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi (right) should they part ways with Pochettino
European qualification will be a key factor for Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly as he weighs up Pochettino’s future this summer, with Chelsea currently in 11th place.
Blues co-owner Todd Boehly has spent more than £1 billion on new players since arriving at Stamford Bridge, with Moises Caicedo (£115 million), Enzo Fernandez (£107 million), Mykhailo Mudryk (£88 million) and Wesley Fofana ( £75 million) the most important in terms of transfer fees.
The huge transfer spend prompted Gary Neville to call Chelsea the ‘billion pound jobs’ after Pochettino’s side lost the Carabao Cup final 1-0 to Liverpool late in extra time, failing to take advantage of the injury-hit troubled and youthful Reds squad.
