Rangers or Celtic job catches Jose Mourinho’s attention although he is not actively looking to leave Fenerbahce.
Rangers or Celtic. Any one of the two clubs’ managerial job is something that has got Jose Mourinho’s attention.
The Fenerbahce coach is getting ready for Thursday’s Europa League last-16 first leg in Istanbul against Rangers, who were fired by Philippe Clement and now have Barry Ferguson in interim management.
Mourinho earned part of his coaching credentials in Ayrshire in the 1990s. His Porto team defeated Celtic in the 2003 Uefa Cup final after extra time to win his first European trophy.
Asked whether coaching in Glasgow appealed to him, he said: “In this moment, no, because I have a job that motivates me and a job that demands loyalty. But why not in the future? People can say that the Scottish League is a league of two teams, but it’s a league of passion.
“For me, passion in football is everything. For me, to play in empty stadiums, to play in competitions where there is not that fire of the passion doesn’t make any sense. Rangers or Celtic, they are big clubs with big fanbases, with big emotions, big responsibilities, big expectations. Why not?
“Celtic has a fantastic coach like Brendan [Rodgers]. Rangers has Ferguson now, so full respect for them and I’m not searching for a new job.”
He praised Ferguson, pointing to the “emotional connection” between the former Rangers midfielder and his club. “It’s going to be much more difficult with him as a coach than with the previous coach,” Mourinho said. “Because the previous coach was more worried about philosophy than on the pitch. It’s on the pitch that you win matches, it’s not with philosophy. For sure, Ferguson will be much more pragmatic, much more objective.”