Chelsea have contacted former manager about potentially becoming manager in the summer - Reports
Chelsea have reportedly contacted Jose Mourinho about a potential return to the club for the third time. The Blues are on the lookout for a permanent manager after sacking Graham Potter.
According to Spanish outlet Relevo, Chelsea have contacted Mourinho about the managerial vacancy at Stamford Bridge. The renowned Portuguese tactician previously enjoyed two spells at the club between 2004 and 2007 and the second between 2013 and 2015.
Mourinho was a massive success with the Blues, winning the Premier League title three times, the FA Cup once and the League Cup on four occasions. He has since had spells with Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and now Roma.
Chelsea have endured a season to forget and were beaten 2-0 at home by Aston Villa last Saturday (April 1). This led to the Premier League giants dismissing Potter as they sit 11th in the league, 14 points off the top four.
Mourinho hinted this past week that he could leave Roma in the near future. The former Real Madrid boss said:
"The situation is clear, from a contractual point of view I still have one year on my contract. Football is football, sometimes contracts aren’t the most important thing."
The Portuguese coach guided Roma to the UEFA Europa Conference League last season. He is the first manager to win all of UEFA's competitions and has a glowing resume.
However, Mourinho is not the only name under consideration to succeed Potter. The Blues have also held talks with former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann and former Spain national team coach Luis Enrique.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have placed former boss Frank Lampard in an interim role to see out the side's remainder of the season. It will be intriguing to see if the English coach and Mourinho are interested in him remaining as part of the latter's backroom staff should he return. The pair hold a good relationship as Mourinho coached Lampard during his first spell at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea also make contact with former Tottenham Hotspur boss Nuno Espirito Santo
Chelsea have also surprisingly made contact with Al Ittihad manager Santo over potentially succeeding Potter, per the aforementioned source. The Portuguese coach has been in charge of the Saudi Pro League club since last summer. He has propelled Al-Numoor to the top of the league with a one-point lead over Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr.
Santo previously managed Tottenham but disappointed in the role. He managed just 17 games across competitions, winning only nine. He was sacked in November 2021 with Spurs sitting ninth in the table.
However, he was a hit at Wolverhampton Wanderers before his move to Chelsea's London rivals. Santo led Wolves to promotion to the Premier League in 2019, ending a six-year absence with a club-record 99 points in the EFL Championship.
Santo consolidated Wolves as a Premier League side and they showed vast improvement season after season. Yet, his prior allegiances to Tottenham and poor showing with the Lilywhites may dissuade Blues fans.