Todd Boehly 'might be tempted' to appoint Jose Mourinho at Chelsea

Posted Wednesday, February 07, 2024 by givemesport.com

Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly could look to offer Jose Mourinho a route back to Stamford Bridge

Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly could be tempted to replace Mauricio Pochettino with Jose Mourinho in the Stamford Bridge dugout as he has a 'proven track record of winning trophies', and journalist Paul Brown has told GIVEMESPORT whether the Portuguese tactician would have been targeted by Roman Abramovich.

The Blues entered a new era when Boehly led a £4.25billion takeover of the west Londoners in May 2022, but it has not been plain sailing for the American businessman despite being willing to dip into his pockets for reinforcements on the pitch as he aims to secure silverware.

Pochettino conceded that his job is not safe after Chelsea's season reached a new low point as they dropped into the bottom half of the Premier League thanks to suffering a heavy defeat at the hands of Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend, and there is growing speculation that a change could be made in the hot-seat as the capital club look to get their season back on track.

Mourinho open to sealing Stamford Bridge return

Mourinho is waiting in the wings to take over as Chelsea's manager despite Boehly refusing to wield the axe on Pochettino at this stage, according to The Sun, but the hierarchy are demanding European qualification as they look to salvage what is proving to be a season to forget.

The report suggests that the ownership group are remaining calm over the Blues' situation even though they have spent more than £1billion on fresh faces since Abramovich's trophy-laden spell at the helm came to an end, and they will not be making a change in the dugout ahead of an FA Cup fourth round replay against domestic rivals Aston Villa on Wednesday.

It is understood that a large section of the Chelsea fanbase would welcome Mourinho back to Stamford Bridge in a heartbeat, having enjoyed huge amounts of success during his previous two spells in charge, and a group of supporters sung his name during the latest setback against Wolves.

Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth recently told GIVEMESPORT that Boehly turning to the 61-year-old would create shockwaves in the football community, while Manchester United are unlikely to rival the capital club for his services after entering a new era with Sir Jim Ratcliffe on the board.

Although it has emerged that Mourinho is very keen to seal a return to Chelsea, they are not the only former employers he is willing to work for after being shown the door by Roma as he would be open to heading back to Old Trafford due to having unfinished business with the Red Devils.

Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has rubbished claims that the former Real Madrid chief will be in charge of the reigning Serie A champions next season, potentially opening the door for Chelsea to pounce as they look to recover from a string of underwhelming results, but Newcastle United's owners are admirers and could attempt to lure him to St James' Park.

Paul Brown - Chelsea move for Mourinho is possible under Boehly

Although Brown has refused to rule out the possibility of Boehly offering Mourinho a route back to Chelsea as he looks to recover from a woeful first half of the season, he is confident that former owner Abramovich would not even contemplate turning to the two-time Champions League winner if he was still at the helm.

The respected journalist believes the 50-year-old Boehly has shown that he is not afraid to make unpredictable moves during his short reign, but there are doubts as to whether Mourinho would be at the top of the Blues' list of candidates to succeed Pochettino.

Chelsea are concerned that sacking Pochettino and his coaching staff would leave them in danger of breaching spending rules, according to MailOnline, and the fears have led to Boehly deciding against making a managerial alteration less than a year after handing the Argentinian the reins.

The report suggests that axing the tactician - who suffered his 11th defeat at the helm thanks to a Matheus Cunha hat-trick inspiring Wolves to all three points last weekend - and his backroom team would cost the Blues in excess of £10million, and agreeing a pay-off before June would count towards the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules this season.

It is understood that Pochettino is the seventh-highest paid manager in the world, thanks to agreeing a contract worth £10.4million-per-year in west London, and there was growing friction behind the scenes during the closing stages of the winter transfer window.

The South American was left unhappy when Armando Broja's loan move to Fulham was sanctioned on deadline day as a replacement had not been drafted in by Boehly, leaving him short of options in the final third of the pitch for the remainder of the campaign.