Former Newcastle United midfielder Lee Clark believes that there is a possibility that Jose Mourinho could end up at St James’ Park.
The Sun reported earlier this month that the Portuguese was being lined up to potentially replace Rafael Benitez if the Bin Zayed Group’s mooted takeover of the club goes through.
Clark has had his say: “Mourinho falls into the same line of managers as Rafa Benitez, in that he is a serial winner at every club he has been at and has always delivered trophies,” he wrote in his column for Tribal Football. “He has always been very complimentary about Newcastle United in the past as well.
“He loves coming up and seeing the atmosphere at St. James’ Park. He has a little bit of a soft spot for the club because it was the club of his mentor, Sir Bobby Robson. I think Newcastle are one of the few clubs in England, with the exception of maybe a return to Chelsea, that would be of interest to Jose Mourinho. And certainly with the potential financial backing he would receive from the prospective owners, it would be a project that he could get his teeth into.”
OPINION
Well this is interesting, isn’t it? The Mourinho speculation did not garner a particularly good response from the Newcastle supporters when it first surfaced, although that was more so because they dearly want current boss Benitez to remain on Tyneside. Appointing Mourinho would be a gamble, because we know that he can turn dressing rooms toxic and he didn’t enjoy the best of times with Manchester United in his most recent job. Having said that, he is, as Clark says, a serial winner. He’s won trophies everywhere he’s been and so that would obviously be attractive to potential new Newcastle owners. As Clark says, Mourinho likely does have a soft spot for the club due to the fervent support and his connection to former Magpies manager Sir Bobby Robson. So there are a few different threads contained within this narrative, but ultimately the desired outcome for Newcastle fans remains Benitez staying at the club.