Oddsmakers Tip Jose Mourinho To Join the Saudi Pro League After AS Roma Surprise Sacking
After Jose Mourinho delivered the first trophy in 14 years for AS Roma, he claimed a place in the club’s history and the hearts of its fans with the Europa Conference League trophy. The next season, his side progressed to the Europa League finals, where they lost on penalties to Sevilla.
This season, however, Mourinho’s side has struggled with consistency. Their Coppa Italia elimination by Lazio was AS Roma’s 4th derby defeat in 6 matches. In the league, they are languishing in 9th, and Jose Mourinho has made history serving 16 touchline bans.
To his credit, his time at AS Roma has been marred by injuries to key players (Tammy Abraham, Dybala, Smalling, and others) and a lack of funds to spend in the market due to FFP restrictions. The owners, however, decided the Jose Mourinho experience was time-barred and terminated his contract.
On his next move, oddsmakers have selected the Saudi Pro League as the Special One’s most likely destination. He reportedly turned down offers from Al Ahli and Al Hilal last summer but expressed an interest in coming to Saudi Arabia in the future, saying, “I will go to Saudi Arabia in some free time, but I am convinced that I will work there. I don’t know when, but I am pretty sure of it.” Well, it seems the time might be now, or at least at the end of the season.
Both teams that expressed interest in signing him are in the title race, with Al Hilal first and Al Ahli third. They may not be looking for a change in management, but there is no telling how their plans will be after the season ends. Beyond them, clubs like Al Ettifaq may decide to end their Steven Gerrard experiment, but whether they can afford Jose Mourinho remains to be seen.
