Jose Mourinho is a beloved and coveted name in west London, with the legendary Portuguese manager leading Chelsea to abundant success across two tenures, but signing the 60-year-old for a third spell would be a detrimental failure for owner Todd Boehly’s Blues project.
After taking ownership of the club last year and pumping incredible sums of cash into the transfer department, looking to reshape and remould a Blues outfit that fell to Liverpool at the final stage of both domestic cup competitions last term, but progress has plummeted to depths unforeseen at the season’s inception.
Languishing in tenth place in the Premier League, 11 points adrift of top-four, out of both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup and trailing Borussia Dortmund following the first leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie, Boehly will be highly disconcerted by the trajectory his affluent project has taken, and despite replacing Thomas Tuchel with Graham Potter in the early phases of the campaign, a second managerial change might now be necessary.
An emergency board meeting was held earlier this week to get to the bottom of the strife, with the club winning just one solitary match from the past ten contests, and a host of managerial replacements have subsequently been circulating.
On this list is none other than Mourinho, who led Chelsea to a wealth of silverware multiple times across his two times at the head of the table, but returning for the manager once again would be a calamitous move for the club.
Would signing Mourinho spell disaster?
Mourinho’s total time spent leading the ranks in west London totals over five years, taking charge for 184 matches during his first tenure and then 136 games over his second; for his labours, he has clinched gold in a plethora of tournaments, notably winning three Premier League titles, the FA Cup and two League Cup trophies with Chelsea.
In his first spell, his average PPM (points-per-match) was an incredible 2.23, before his second stay was marred by a dreadful final season that saw him sacked in December 2015 and lowered his average to a still impressive 1.94.
However, if Chelsea made a move for the icon once again, it might well echo that of another manager who endured multiple stints at the Bridge, that of Guus Hiddink, who was in fact brought in to replace Mourinho over seven years ago.
Hiddink won just ten of his 27 matches at the helm in his second spell at Chelsea as he attempted to dig the Blues out of their rut, and there will indeed be fears that the past might poignantly repeat itself if Boehly does not stick to his guns and look to wipe a new, fresh sheen over Stamford Bridge.
Indeed, making a move for Mourinho would be nothing more than “nostalgia repackaged”, according to journalist Daniel Childs, with the manager’s move to Chelsea’s heated rivals Tottenham Hotspur an indication that the relationship might now be closer to acrimonious than harmonious for the demanding support.
Now managing AS Roma in Serie A, the footballing boss has won the UEFA Conference League with his outfit and now seeks to return the club to their rightful place in the Champions League, but a return to Chelsea could indeed hamper all three parties involved.
Despite the nature of his previous exit from Stamford Bridge, Mourinho, hailed as “incredible” by John Terry, will be eternally endeared by the swathes of Chelsea support, but that is how it should remain.
Given the flow of the river that currently dictates the west London club’s new era, the Blues must target a fresh approach, and not rehash old tricks.
