Jose Mourinho Returns To Serie A

Following his departure from Tottenham Hotspur, Jose Mourinho is returning to Serie A, as he has signed a deal with A.S. Roma through 2024. Mourinho previously managed in Italy from 2008-2010. He led Inter Milan to consecutive Serie A titles, a Champions League title, a Coppa Italia title, and an Italian Super Cup title. 

Breaking: Roma confirm the appointment of Jose Mourinho as their new manager ahead of the 2021-22 season 🤯 pic.twitter.com/SllH5dpFRY

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 4, 2021

"After meetings with the ownership, I immediately understood their ambitions for Roma. Together we want to build a winning project.

“The incredible passion of the fans convinced me to accept the job. I can't wait to start next season. Daje Roma!"

💬 – 𝑱𝒐𝒔𝒆́ 𝑴𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒉𝒐

— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) May 4, 2021

Tottenham

Spurs have had a disappointing season and let Mourinho go after a bad run of games. 

Mourinho’s time in North London was cut short six days before a cup final against Manchester City. Spurs went on to lose the match 1-0, which undoubtedly left fans wondering why Mourinho was sacked prior to the game. Mourinho is the only manager to beat Man City’s boss Pep Guardiola in a final. 

Tottenham are still looking for a replacement, with many of their candidates becoming unavailable. Julian Nagelsmann has recently taken the job at Bayern Munich and Erik ten Hag just signed a new deal with Ajax. 

Tottenham will go down as the only team Mourinho managed where he failed to win silverware.  

Roma

Paulo Fonseca is the current manager of Roma, and will leave the club at the end of the season. 

Like Spurs, Roma have had a disappointing season, but they’re still in the Semifinals of the Europa League. They have work to do when Manchester United travel to Rome as they are down 6-2 on aggregate. 

Mourinho’s return to Italy will reignite his rivalries with other Serie A managers. In his first spell in Italy, he had major feuds with Carlo Ancelotti, then of Milan, Luciano Spalletti of Roma and Claudio Ranieri of Juventus. 

Antonio Conte, current manager at Inter Milan, will be Mourinho’s biggest rival this time. Conte and Mourinho have previously met seven times, with the former winning four. 

Mourinho vs. Conte 👀

Serie A is going to be fiery next season 🔥 pic.twitter.com/MmpdkUZ1Rs

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 4, 2021

Mourinho has a lot of ties in Italian soccer, so the narrative of him returning is sure to get every fan excited. Conte and Mourinho will likely rekindle their rivalry, hopefully for many years to come.

Roma are currently seventh in the Serie A table with four games remaining. If their position stands, they will be forced to play in qualifiers to get into next season’s Europa League. They play Crotone on Sunday, May 9.