Jose Mourinho has been linked with the task of leading Leeds United to Premier League safety next season, but past comments reveal what he thinks of the idea.
The Whites are sat at the top of the Championship, having just confirmed promotion under manager Daniel Farke. All calm at Elland Road, then? Not quite, powerbrokers in Yorkshire aren’t sure he’s their man for the top tier, according to the Daily Mail.
Thanks to comments made last year about returning to an English club outside Europe, Jose Mourinho was immediately thrown into the frame, but it’s not all that simple.
Mourinho has already declared his position on a Leeds-style job
The iconic Portuguese manager – ranked at no.12 in FourFourTwo's list of the greatest managers ever – is currently with Turkish outfit Fenerbahce and, typically, has already been through more than one controversy since arriving last summer.
During a difficult Europa League run, Mourinho fumed that he doesn’t want to play in UEFA competitions any more, fancying “a club at the bottom in England” instead.
The outburst stuck, but Leeds fans must temper their expectations given his rollback shortly after.
“I made a joke,” the 62-year-old admitted of his job proposal. “I get upset, and I’m not in the period of my career to get upset. I’m in the period of my career to be happy all the time and at this moment playing in European competitions, I am getting upset all the time.
"But I'm not going to fight relegation. It's too hard! Honestly, I believe that has to be the hardest thing. It's more difficult than playing for titles.
“It has to be very hard emotionally, because it's something that changes lives. I think it's brave guys that do it."
FourFourTwo sits in hope that Mourinho finds the courage from somewhere.
Few men can create a siege mentality like the former Premier League winner, and under Marco Bielsa a few years ago, Leeds showed itself as a city primed to throw everything behind a maverick coach.
Some of the best up-and-coming tactical megaminds have tried and failed at bridging the mammoth gap between the Championship and Premier League in recent seasons – it may take the type of sharp environment only Mourinho can shape to get the job done.
