Jose Mourinho reaches verbal agreement with new club days after Roma sacking

The special one didn’t stay down for long

Jose Mourinho is reportedly set to make a quick return to management, just days after being sacked by Roma. Mourinho was dismissed by the Serie A club earlier this week, leaving the 2021 Conference League winners ninth in the table following a two-and-a-half-year spell at the Stadio Olimpico. The former Chelsea boss was seen leaving the training ground in tears while many fans have questioned Roma’s decision to sack him given his strong relationship with the supporters. Club legend Daniele De Rossi has taken over in the meantime. But Mourinho isn’t going to be out of the game for long according to reports in Saudi Arabia, who claim that he is poised to take over as manager of Al Shabab. During his time in Italy, Mourinho often spoke about the prospect of managing in the Middle East and even revealed he had rejected the “biggest and craziest offer a coach has ever received” to remain with Roma. “During the holidays, I received the biggest and craziest offer a coach has ever received in the history of football,” he said back in October. “And I turned it down. I did so because I’d given my word to my players, I’d given my word to the fans and I’d given my word to the club owner.”

Reports said that the offer was around the £500,000-a-week mark to take over as manager of Al Hilal, who boast a playing squad with names such as Neymar, Ruben Neves and Sergei Milinkovic-Savic. Saudi owned newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat are now saying that his arrival could come in the next few days if an agreement can be reached between him and Al Shabab’s sporting director Domenico Tite. Al Shabab are currently 11th in the Saudi Pro League and have the likes of former Atletico Madrid star Yannick Carrasco and ex-Sevilla playmaker Ever Banega in their ranks. Mourinho has also previously said that he believes he is destined to manage in Saudi Arabia. Last year he told MBC Egypt TV channel: “I will go to Saudi Arabia in some free time, but I am convinced that I will work there. “I don’t know when, but I am pretty sure of it. Doors are always open for me in Saudi Arabia. I want to feel the development there.” Related links:

• BBC remove Wayne Rooney tweet after Gary Lineker tells them to ‘delete this’
• Gary Lineker on the Ireland star he "used to hate playing against"
• Jose Mourinho set to sign Ireland U19 star from Inter Milan