Jose Mourinho next club odds: Newcastle United, England and Portugal all in the running

Easy come, easy José. 

José Mourinho’s sacking from Roma this week saw yet another hurricane spell at a club come to a crashing end. Perhaps deep down, those in the Italian capital always knew it would end this way. Another whirlwind romance for Mourinho saw him end Roma’s trophy drought with the Europa Conference League title, and he nearly followed it up with success in the Europa League one year later.

Ultimately, it was perhaps his emotional reaction to that final, and in games subsequently this season, that has spelt the end for Mourinho at Roma - as well as poor results on the pitch that have left the Giallorossi down in ninth. His comments and actions after the penalty shootout loss to Sevilla help to rile up the supporters against referee Anthony Taylor, who had a chair thrown at him at the airport the following day. 

He’d crossed the line, but by doing so tied himself ever closer to the Roma faithful, who were now completely smitten by their enigmatic boss. Mourinho has the ECL trophy tattooed onto his shoulder, and it felt like he’d permanently made his mark on this famous old football club, but, as with all of his recent jobs, it didn’t end well. When the news of his sacking filtered through, fans rushed to the training ground to try to say farewell to their fallen hero. 

He departs with his reputation as a ruthless winner remarkably enhanced. Yet, the man who is still so loved in Italy causes chaos wherever he treads. So what next for our Romeo? Despite everything, our hopeless romantic is surely still coveted across the globe. 

The odds suggest, however, that the true elite of the game may have moved on from the 60-year-old and his wicked ways. The top of the market doesn’t feature any of the big boys, while there are a couple of international jobs that are worthy of discussion. Let’s break down where the Portuguese could end up. 

Newcastle United @ 10/3

Perhaps the one that makes the most sense. A return to the Premier League, with a money-laden club that is both striving to win trophies and break up the established elite of English football. If you were to imagine Mourinho’s perfect club right now, Newcastle may just be it. 

Eddie Howe has without a doubt done a superb job in the north-east, and got them way ahead of schedule in terms of progress, finishing in the top four last term. But, aside from their win over Paris Saint-Germain, they disappointed in their group and are now out of the Carabao Cup. Worse still, they’ve lost four in a row in the Premier League and have dropped to ninth. 

There’s a facade currently evident at Newcastle of a well-run club who are loyal to Howe and the managerial staff who have taken them this far. That won’t last long if results on the pitch don’t improve, and the ruthless owners will surely want to bring a big name in given the finances they have at their disposal. 

Mourinho’s hands were tied at Roma due to financial restrictions, yet he could seemingly fulfil the role of the underdog at St James’ Park. Howe was the man to improve Newcastle, but there’s never been much conviction that he is actually the man to win them trophies. This makes a lot of sense, if Newcastle run out of patience with Howe. 

Any Saudi Arabian Club @ 4/1

The Saudi Pro League has taken a bit of a beating over the past four months. From their miniscule attendances to Jordan Henderson’s U-turn, things are hardly going smoothly over there. But fear not, money can solve all of life’s woes. And if Mourinho fancies becoming the big-name manager of the SPL - something they truly don’t have right now - he will earn a pretty penny for doing so.

The issue for Mourinho is, if he goes to Saudi, he is admitting that he is no longer at the top of his game. And truthfully, I can’t see him following the money when he is still so passionate about his reputation and his standing in the European game. I could be wildly off the mark, and money talks, but it doesn’t feel like the right move for Mourinho right now. 

Portugal National Team @ 5/1

I would rule this out right away. Portugal have recently hired Roberto Martinez, won 10 from 10 under his management and are flying heading into 2024. There’s a very real chance they could go all the way this summer and win Euro 2024. 

Even if it all goes wrong for Portugal this summer, which it won’t, Mourinho is unlikely to want to wait at least six months for his next job, and then a further two years before his first major tournament. It’s just not going to happen. 

Porto @ 8/1

Oh my. Remember the romanticism at the top of the piece? Mourinho clearly loves a reunion, as we saw when he returned to Chelsea to deliver another league title. But a return to Porto, 20 years after he delivered them an improbable Champions League, would mark one of football’s great love stories. 

Current boss Sérgio Conceição has been in charge since 2017, and has won three league titles with the Portuguese giants. He’s amazingly won 259 of the 356 games he has managed at the club, but missed out on the title last year to Benfica. This season they sit third, behind a resurgent Sporting and Benfica, while they face Arsenal in the last 16 of the Champions League having finished second in their group. 

They’d be mad to throw away the long and stable marriage they have with Conceição for a pulsating love affair with Mourinho - but love can make you do crazy things. Mourinho may feel it's not quite the right time to return to Porto, especially if Newcastle come calling, but it is a potential option, especially if they fail to win the league title for a second successive season.

England National Team @ 12/1

Immediately after his Roma sacking, there were calls from some England fans on X to replace Gareth Southgate with Mourinho in a desperate attempt to win something. Southgate’s success has been based upon a positive environment in the camp, and players clearly love playing for England right now. The Three Lions have also come so close to winning the last two tournaments. 

There are no guarantees that a Mourinho team would have won the penalty shootout against Italy, while England outplayed France, something that wouldn’t have happened under the Portuguese manager. This would be madness from the FA, but Southgate is likely to walk away no matter what happens in Germany. Mourinho has never managed at international level before, but if he is still out of a job when England come calling he would find it very difficult to turn it down. 

From one of England’s calmest managers, to one of the most abrasive in world football - the FA would be pressing the panic button and potentially wasting years of progress if they hired Mourinho after Southgate. 

In conclusion, there aren’t many options for Mourinho at this moment in time, but the Newcastle job makes complete sense in my eyes, for all the reasons stated above. International management may not be for him, and he still wants to compete in the biggest leagues. Unfortunately, he’s running out of options at the very top of the game, and few would regard him as one of the world’s best anymore. 

Still, our old football romantic has the fight in him. Short-term success might just be what Newcastle desire most. 

Check out our other Football Betting Tips here.