Mourinho tipped to replace Klopp void as ex-Chelsea man wants ‘fireworks’ with Pep, Arteta
Former Chelsea defender William Gallas thinks Jose Mourinho should fill the void left by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp by joining a Premier League club.
Klopp is leaving the Reds at the end of the season, meaning one of the biggest names and characters in football will be departing Our League.
Mourinho is a similarly colossal character in the game and is currently out of work after losing his job at AS Roma earlier this season.
He has been linked with a few jobs in England in recent months, including Chelsea, Liverpool and West Ham.
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A move to Anfield never felt realistic but was something we dreamed would happen and the Reds have reportedly settled on appointing Feyenoord’s Arne Slot as Klopp’s replacement.
It would have been very interesting to see Mourinho take on the Liverpool job but it was never going to happen. Regardless, Mourinho back in the Premier League in any capacity promises to be entertaining.
Arteta, Pep ‘only big managers’ left in Premier League – Mourinho to return?
Speaking to Gambling Zone, ex-Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal defender Gallas has claimed that Klopp’s departure will leave Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta as the only “big managers in the league” and that Mourinho’s necessary return would provide “fireworks”.
“I really hope that there is an opportunity for Jose Mourinho to come back and manage another big club in the Premier League next season,” Gallas said.
“He has to do something because he is a special manager. I want to see him coaching again. I would love to see him back in the Premier League managing one big club.
“The Premier League is about to lose Jurgen Klopp. Next season, the only big, big managers in the league will be Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta, and Mikel hasn’t won the league yet.
“There is room for another prestigious manager to come in and compete with those two and I think that Jose Mourinho could be the man to do it. We need one more big manager in the Premier League.
“If Mourinho came back, it would be good for the Premier League and it would be exciting.
“I think everyone would be excited by the prospect of seeing Mourinho pitting his wits against Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta – something would happen. There would be fireworks.”
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Gallas added that Liverpool are not a realistic option and the “best club for him” is actually a return to Chelsea with Mauricio Pochettino under pressure.
“Liverpool isn’t an opportunity for him,” the Frenchman added. “They are looking at another candidate and I think it would be impossible for Mourinho to manage there.
“I actually think the best club for him would be to come back to Chelsea. That would be the best possible option for Mourinho.”
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He continued: “The best thing for Mourinho would be to return to Chelsea. The question is, if he comes back to Chelsea, he will need players with a different mentality and players with more quality than Chelsea currently have.
“He asks a lot of his players – he demands a lot – and that can be a problem for some players that don’t have the quality to give him what he needs.
“He knows what it takes to win. Guardiola also demands a lot from his players. That is the only way if you want to win the Premier League.
“Arteta, you can see that he has increased the demands over Arsenal’s players and this season, he has changed the way that he has spoken to his players.”
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