Three-time Premier League winner Jose Mourinho turned down a big-money offer to replace David Moyes at West Ham United last month with the Portuguese still committed to Serie A giants Roma.
That is according to La Roma 24, Mourinho determined to finish the story he started during the summer of 2021 at the Stadio Olimpico.
Despite his Inter Milan past, the preening Portuguese is already an iconic figure in the Italian capital, having guided Roma to UEFA Conference League glory last season; the Giallorrossi’s first European title in over 60 years.
Mourinho’s future beyond the summer remains uncertain. His contract expires in July, clubs in the Middle East offering to enhance the 60-year-old’s already planet-sized bank balance.
But, such is the mutual admiration between he and Roma, Mourinho was never likely to consider an offer from West Ham; the London giants reportedly offering the former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur boss a three-year, £30 million deal worth £200,000-a-week.
West Ham like Roma boss Jose Mourinho
Mourinho has Roma in the quarter-finals of the Europa League, and pursuing a top-four finish in Serie A. And, while never a man to shirk a challenge, the prospect of taking over a West Ham side mired in a relegation dogfight with just three months of the season remaining was never one likely to turn Mourinho’s head, especially with so much to fight for at his current employers.
Win the Europa League – Roma face last season’s Conference League rivals Feyenoord in the quarter-finals – and that will be the 29th major trophy of Mourinho’s remarkable managerial career.
Moyes, meanwhile, eased the pressure hanging over him to an extent with a hard-fought 1-0 win over relegation rivals Southampton Sunday afternoon.
The likes of Michael Carrick, Vincent Kompany and even Will Still have been mentioned as potential replacements for the veteran Scot. Still, the 30-year-old, claret-and-blue supporting Reims boss, is rapidly emerging as one of Europe’s most exciting young tacticians.
“I really hope, given his work, his performance and given his human qualities, that he will remain the coach of the Stade de Reims,” admits club president Jean-Pierre Caillot says. “That is how things should go.
“Today, I think he is fine with us. He has the club’s confidence, including financially. So I think logic means that he will be our coach next season. In any case, I sincerely hope so.
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