MILAN: Jose Mourinho took just two weeks to bounce back after his sacking from Tottenham Hotspur with a surprise appointment on Tuesday as Roma coach on a three-year deal from next season.
His departure from Spurs marked the first time since the early years of his managerial career in Portugal that the self-declared ‘Special One’ left a club without winning any silverware.
The outspoken 58-year-old returns to Italy, where he left as a hero back in 2010 after leading Inter Milan to the treble — Champions League, Serie A and Coppa Italia.
Mourinho will replace fellow Portuguese Paulo Fonseca who leaves the capital side at the end of the current campaign with the team seventh in Serie A with four games to play.
“The incredible passion of the Roma fans convinced me to accept the job and I cannot wait to start next season,” Mourinho said in a statement.
“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.
“After meetings with the ownership 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.”
Mourinho will lock horns again with great rival Antonio Conte, who at the weekend ended Juventus’ nine-year reign as Italian champions by winning Inter’s first Serie A title since Mourinho’s time in Milan.
“We are thrilled and delighted to welcome Jose Mourinho into the AS Roma family,” the club’s American owner Dan Friedkin said.
“A great champion who has won trophies at every level, Jose will provide tremendous leadership and experience to our ambitious project.
“The appointment of Jose is a huge step in building a long-term and consistent winning culture throughout the club.”
Mourinho has claimed 25 major trophies in his career to date and joins a club that hasn’t won Serie A since 2001.
As well as his triumphs with Inter he won the Champions League with Porto in 2004, three Premier League titles with Chelsea and La Liga with Real Madrid in 2012.
He also led Manchester United to the Europa League in 2017.
Mourinho is one of only three managers to have won the Champions League with two different clubs, a feat he has also repeated in the Europa League.
“When Jose became available, we immediately jumped at the chance to speak with one of the greatest managers of all time,” said Roma general manager Tiago Pinto.
“We were blown away by Jose’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.”
Mourinho arrived at Spurs 17 months ago with a point to prove after his reputation was tarnished during a two-year spell in charge of Manchester United.
While he claimed three trophies at Old Trafford, including the 2017 Europa League, the end came with a dismal run of results and high-profile disagreements with players.
Much the same dynamic had played out in previous spells at Chelsea and Real Madrid, marked also by running feuds with opposition managers and the press, and a surly unwillingness to admit any shortcomings.
Despite periods of optimism this season at Tottenham, including beating United 6-1 at Old Trafford and briefly topping the Premier League table, a barren 2021 has seen the team repeatedly squander winning positions.
Earlier Roma confirmed that Fonseca would leave after two years with the three-time Italian champions who are trophyless since 2008.
Fonseca, 48, joined the club in 2019 with the option for a third year if the club reached the Champions League next season.
The club finished fifth in Serie A last campaign and are currently seventh, nine points behind city rivals Lazio who sit sixth and have a game in hand.
Roma trail Mourinho’s former club Manchester United 6-2 going into Thursday’s second leg of their Europa League semifinal in the Italian capital.
Fonseca replaced Claudio Ranieri, who had a brief spell as coach after Eusebio Di Francesco was sacked in January 2019.
Di Francesco had guided the club to the Champions League semifinals in 2018.
Mourinho looks for redemption at Roma after Tottenham failure
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Mourinho looks for redemption at Roma after Tottenham failure
- The outspoken 58-year-old returns to Italy, where he left as a hero back in 2010 after leading Inter Milan to the treble — Champions League, Serie A and Coppa Italia
- Mourinho will replace fellow Portuguese Paulo Fonseca who leaves the capital side at the end of the current campaign with the team seventh in Serie A with four games to play
Gilgeous-Alexander leads Thunder in rout of Cavaliers
- Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander’s 30-point haul led the way, with center Chet Holmgren providing offensive support with 28 points and Luguentz Dort adding 18 points
Los Angeles: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder returned to winning ways with a 136-104 pummeling of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.
Two days after suffering an upset defeat by Miami on Saturday, the NBA champions ensured there would be no repeat against Cleveland as the league marked the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday with a packed slate of fixtures.
Apart from a brief spell at the start of the first quarter, Oklahoma City led throughout, building up a double-digit lead before accelerating away with a 45-point fourth quarter.
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander’s 30-point haul led the way, with center Chet Holmgren providing offensive support with 28 points and Luguentz Dort adding 18 points.
Isaiah Joe chipped in with 16 points from the bench while Aaron Wiggins finished with 12 as five Thunder players recorded double figures en route to a victory that sees Oklahoma City improve to 36-8 at the top of the Western Conference.
Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 19 points while four Cavs players — Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Jaylon Tyson and De’Andre Hunter — all finished with 16 points apiece.
In Monday’s other early game, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 21 points helped the Milwaukee Bucks hold off a late rally in a 112-110 road win over the Atlanta Hawks.
Milwaukee opened a 23-point lead midway through the third quarter but a stubborn Atlanta line-up chipped away at that advantage and grabbed a slender one-point lead with just over a minute remaining before the Bucks reasserted themselves to dig out victory.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker led Atlanta’s scoring with 32 points off the bench including seven three-pointers, with Jalen Johnson finishing with 28 points for the home side.
