LONDON – Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has not signed a contract with anybody, he said on Saturday, but expects to be back in football in time for the start of next season and would prefer to work in England again.
“At this moment I can promise you that I don’t have a contract with anybody,” he said at the 02 Arena on Saturday where he was watching a night of international boxing.
“I’m in a position to be open to any club, to any national team, but to be honest if possible I’d like a club, and analyse and think what’s best for my career and to be back with everything I have.”
Mourinho, one of the world’s most successful coaches, was sacked by Chelsea in December after the Premier League champions started the season with nine defeats in their first 16 matches.
The 53-year-old, who has also coached Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Porto, has been strongly tipped in media reports to take over from Louis van Gaal at Manchester United next season.
“Reports are reports and I made a decision in the beginning … not to feed them, not to confirm, not to deny,” he told Sky Sports television.
“If anybody has respect for Mr Van Gaal I’m probably one of the first ones because he’s my friend and I worked with him a few years (as an assistant coach at Barcelona). I’m linked with many jobs … in the summer I will have a job,” said Mourinho.
“This is April, everything starts in July. Every decision normally is made between the end of May and the start of June.”
The Portuguese made it clear he would prefer another club in England where his family is settled.
“I love the country, I love the football here. My family is very stable and happy. If possible, yes, it (England) would be my first choice,” he said.
Mourinho also confirmed he had rejected an offer from the Syrian FA to coach their national team.
“The Syrian one is true because they published the letter that they sent to my agent (Jorge Mendes) … but in a very respectful way we told them we were not interested in that job,” he said. (Reuters)
