Mourinho: 'I Want to Work'

• The Guardian, Friday, September 21, 2007 6 PM

Fresh from a $24 million severance package, former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says he's already ready to return to management. In an interview with the London Times, Mourinho said, "I'm going to wait for the telephone calls. I want to work."

Apparently, Tottenham Hotspur has already expressed interest, although the Times  says Mourinho is unlikely to want to stay in London. The Guardian, however, says that Spurs are hot in pursuit of the Portuguese, preparing a "financially attractive" offer that would allow him to stay in the city where he has declared himself "settled." It's not exactly a secret that Tottenham is entertaining offers to replace beleaguered manager Martin Jol, who's gotten the team off to dismal start of four points from six games. If Tottenham fails to win at Bolton on Sunday, don't expect Jol to survive the weekend, Mourinho or not.

Of course, just about any club would like to have the outspoken Portuguese manager, which means the likes of Barcelona's Frank Rijkaard will have to be on their toes. That said, reports in Portugal have already linked Mourinho with a move to the national team, whose current coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari, was recently banned from Portugal's remaining Euro 2008 qualifiers. Portuguese officials were said to be discussing Scolari's future Thursday night.

Read the whole story at The Guardian »