Jose Mourinho offered more than £100 million to coach Saudi Arabia national team
Dubai: Jose Mourinho has reportedly been offered a whopping £100 million to become the new coach of the Saudi Arabian national team.
Spanish newspaper Marca says the Portuguese manager, currently at Serie A club Roma, is being touted as a potential replacement for Herve Renard. The Saudi FA want an experienced coach leading the team at the 2026 World Cup and believe the former Manchester United and Chelsea boss fits the bill.
The 60-year-old has previously flirted with the idea of international management. In 2020, he was quoted as saying, “Yes I want to coach a national team, I want to have the experience of a World Cup and European Championship, the emotion of the short competition.”
Other options
However, if Mourinho is not interested in taking on the two-year deal to coach the national team, he has other options at the club level.
One of these options is the possibility of replacing Rudi Garcia at Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr, the team of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The paper reports that Garcia is likely to leave the team at the end of the season and return to Europe.
Ronaldo worked with Mourinho at Real Madrid between 2010-2013, winning the LaLiga title and the Copa del Rey together.
In addition to Al Nassr, Mourinho, could also potentially coach Al Ahli.
Italian reports suggest that the coach has already discussed the matter with his coaching staff and is considering his options.
Playing squad
His contract with Roma expires in 2024 however there have been disputes over performances on the pitch as well as a lack of investment in the playing squad, leading to doubts over his future.
Additionally, Mourinho has also reiterated his desire to work in the Premier League again. He hasn’t worked in the top flight since leaving Spurs in April, 2021.
It remains to be seen what the future holds for Mourinho, but he certainly has plenty of options available to him.