Relax: Jose Mourinho isn't going to come to Celtic

By Euan Davidson

April 20, 2021

Inevitably, there’s been Jose Mourinho to Celtic chatter.

Scott McDonald has brought it up, while the Sun report that bookies are taking bets on the Portuguese boss. There are people, walking among us, that think there’s even a distinct chance of this happening.

I don’t claim to be Nostradamus, but let’s get this debunked now. I’m sorry if you were putting the house on Jose Mourinho knee-sliding at the Tony Macaroni Arena (and ruining a good pair of trousers on the astro-turf) but it seems hugely unlikely, does it not?

For supporters of a certain vintage, and I include myself in this 100%, Jose is still a villain. The 2003 UEFA Cup final was a vile master-class in sh*thousery, with the Porto players diving and cheating their way through 120 minutes. Their performance that night left a very sour taste. Some say they’d rather lose than win the way Porto did that night. I’m less sure of that myself, but they were a vastly talented team, who didn’t need to play the way they did.

And that’s a running theme with Jose Mourinho teams. He’s been given huge sums to build talented squads and yet, it’s the moaning, the conspiracies and the Sergio Ramos red-cards that stick out most in the memory.

Come on. / (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)

Jose Mourinho to Celtic is beyond unlikely

I once got pelters for writing what I thought was quite a funny article about an ex-Tottenham boss. There were relatively similar far-fetched rumours about Mauricio Pochettino. I thought it’d lift the mood a bit to have a wee joke about his joining PSG.

Ultimately, this is of a similar realm, except it’s less “oh, that’d be good” and more “…no”. Again, the bookies are absolutely having you on, here.

We could deconstruct this “rumour” bit by bit, if you like: first-off, Jose Mourinho is a very, very expensive choice. Brendan Rodgers’ exorbitant wages would have to be blown out of the water. Reportedly, Lucien Favre turned his nose up at almost double what the Leicester City boss was on at Celtic [Milliyet]. A guy who’s won European Cups, then, will surely want even more than that.

So, there’s that issue. Also, Mourinho being tied to less than £20m for a transfer window doesn’t seem the kind of offer the ‘Special One’ would take up. That’s just the financial aspect of it, but there’s also the competitive angle; Jose Mourinho just won’t want to be at a side like ours.

Pressure hasn’t sat well on the former Chelsea man’s shoulders. In his two recent spells, he was tasked with making Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur title challengers. You could argue the case for his spell at United, but by the time he left, he’d alienated another dressing room. The less said about his time in North London, the better.

Cheeky: Jose Mourinho / (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

We need to be realistic

There’s nothing wrong with aiming big. I’d agree with anyone who suggests that top managers should want the Celtic job.

But you could reasonably argue that it wouldn’t actually be a good fit. Renowned coach + big club doesn’t always equal good results. We already have a fractured, factional dressing room; would a manager known for alienating his top players really be the best idea, if we were to entertain this notion?

It’s just an absolute non-starter. We’re sorry if you wanted to see the Celtic manager poking someone’s eye during a Derby [Telegraph], or complain about referees every week.

But… come on.

READ MORE: 3 reasons to tune in tomorrow night as Celtic face Aberdeen.