Mourinho sets his eyes on the Newcastle job in near future in the likelihood of current manager Eddie Howe leaving.
Mourinho sets his sights on the Newcastle job in the future after making his desire to retire to the Premier Legue clear.
After managing Chelsea twice, Manchester United, and Tottenham, the Fenerbahce head coach has unresolved Premier League business and believes Newcastle offers him the best chance to gain another position in England.
Following Fenerbahce’s 3-2 victory against Trabzonspor last Sunday, Mourinho delivered an unusual tirade to express his displeasure in Turkey. After being fired by Roma in January, the Portuguese only joined the team last summer, but he is already looking for other options.
It is believed that Mourinho contacted middlemen to request updates on any happenings at Newcastle. The 61-year-old has kept up a relationship with Newcastle’s chairman, Yasir al-Rumayyan, whom he met in a social setting at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in March.
Mourinho’s charm offensive during United’s Europa League match in Istanbul last month, where he greeted English media and former coworkers like old friends, was another indication of his itchy feet.
Due to the aspirations of Newcastle’s Saudi owners, who want the team in the Champions League, Howe is not under immediate pressure and has been encouraged by back-to-back wins over Chelsea and Arsenal following a challenging start to the season. However, he is not assured of long-term job security. When directors Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi departed this summer, the 46-year-old lost two important allies, and there has been friction with Paul Mitchell, the sporting director who was hired in July.
Before defeating Arsenal last Saturday, Newcastle had lost five Premier League games, and their 11th-place league standing is unacceptable to the owners. Despite the financial difficulties that compelled them to sell a number of young players in June of last year in order to comply with sustainability and profitability regulations, Howe is anticipated to have Newcastle in the running for European qualifying.
Refereeing calls that resulted in Fenerbahce giving up two penalties and losing a strong penalty appeal set off Mourinho’s diatribe last weekend, but he also attacked Turkish football in general. The Turkish football federation has fined him and banned him from one game.