Jose Mourinho has arrived in Portugal to waves of adoring fans ahead of discussions over becoming the new manager of Benfica.
Mourinho, 62, is a free agent after Fenerbahce’s failure to qualify for the Champions League saw him dismissed from his post in Turkey.
The Portuguese’s availability has triggered a wave of speculation over his next destination, but according to A Bola, Mourinho is set to return to his homeland – and a deal could be wrapped up in the next few hours.
Benfica are reportedly making great strides in their talks with Mourinho, who was given his first managerial job by the Portuguese side in 2000. He oversaw just 10 games – with a change in leadership at the top of the club resulting in Mourinho handing in his resignation – before taking a full time position at Uniao de Leiria.
Mourinho went on to enjoy huge success at Porto before becoming an internationally recognised name during his stints at Chelsea, Real Madrid and Inter.
And, should the deal go through, he will put himself on a collision course with former club Chelsea – who Benfica face in the Champions League in just two weeks.
Jose Mourinho has arrived in Benfica, admitting he is ‘interested’ in becoming club’s manager
The 62-year-old was sacked by Fenerbahce after the Turkish club failed to qualify for the Champions League
Mourinho had a Benfica scarf draped over him by fans and spoke to local press upon landing in his homeland after flying in from Barcelona on Wednesday evening.
‘I have nothing to tell you,’ he said. ‘Before I got on the plane, they asked me if I might be interested. I said yes, I might be interested.
‘Benfica officially asked me if I would be interested and said that when I returned to Portugal, I would be happy to speak with people. If I return to Benfica, it won’t be a career celebration, nor 25 years later, nor a return home,
‘I left my previous club four weeks ago. If you ask me if I expected to stay until the end of the season without coaching, that’s not in my nature. I wanted to join. I didn’t want to say yes to a club that wasn’t the right one, just because I’m a workaholic.
‘When I was faced with the possibility of coaching Benfica, I didn’t think twice about it, saying, ‘I’m interested, I’d like it’.’
Benfica parted ways with former Wolves boss Bruno Lage following a pedestrian start to the season, with the club eager to have a new coach in place for this weekend’s game against Vila das Aves.
Club president Rui Costa said: ‘We have reached an agreement with Bruno Lage to step down as Benfica’s coach. I thank him for everything he’s done for our club, but we believe it’s time for a change.
‘Regarding the next coach, we expect to have the new one on the bench at Vila das Aves next Saturday.
Reports suggest he could be in place as coach in the next few hours following talks
‘We’ve had a tough week for all Benfica fans, after the match against Santa Clara and this match against Qarabag. We haven’t compromised anything, we haven’t dropped out of any competition, but I believe this is the time for a change.
‘The Benfica coach must be a winner. He must be a coach who represents a club of this size and has the ability to bring this team to the required levels.
‘We won’t talk about names. Benfica is currently without a coach. The only thing that happened after the game was the conversation with Bruno Lage. No coach has been hired today.’
