Former Tottenham Hotspur manager, Jose Mourinho has reached an agreement with AS Roma to become the club’s Head Coach for the 2021/22 campaign.
The Portuguese manager who was sacked in April after just seven months in charge due to Tottenham Hotspur’s poor performance has agreed to a three-year contract with AS Roma which will run till June 2024.
In the early hours of today, AS Roma announced that their current manager, Paulo Fonseca, would leave the club at the end of the current season. Hours later, they announced their agreement with Mourinho.
What Jose Mourinho said about the new appointment
“Thank you to the Friedkin family for choosing me to lead this great club and to be part of their vision,” Mourinho said.
“After meetings with the ownership and Tiago Pinto, I immediately understood the full extent of their ambitions for AS Roma. It is the same ambition and drive that has always motivated me and together we want to build a winning project over the upcoming years.
The incredible passion of the Roma fans convinced me to accept the job and I cannot wait to start next season.
In the meantime, I wish Paulo Fonseca all the best and I hope the media appreciate that I will only speak further in due course. Daje Roma!” he added.
This is Jose Mourinho’s second spell in Serie A after his famous two seasons spent in Inter.
What Roma bosses are saying about Mourinho’s appointment
In welcoming the Portuguese coach to the team, club president Dan Friedkin and vice-president Ryan Friedkin said:
“We are thrilled and delighted to welcome José Mourinho into the AS Roma family.
A great champion who has won trophies at every level, José will provide tremendous leadership and experience to our ambitious project.
The appointment of José is a huge step in building a long-term and consistent winning culture throughout the club.”
Tiago Pinto, Roma’s General Manager (Football) also pitched in, saying:
“When José became available, we immediately jumped at the chance to speak with one of the greatest managers of all time. We were blown away by José’s desire to win and his passion for the game: no matter how many trophies he has won, his primary focus is always on the next one. He possesses the knowledge, experience and leadership to compete at all levels.
We know that in order to build a successful sporting project it takes time, patience and the right people in the right positions. We are supremely confident that José will be the perfect coach for our project, for both our immediate and long-term future.
Together with the vision and ambition of Dan and Ryan Friedkin, we will build the foundations of a new AS Roma.”
In case you missed it
Jose Mourinho was sacked 17 months into a three-and-a-half-year contract, after which he got a £16m compensation fee for being relieved of his managerial duties early in his contract.
