‘Jose Mourinho may now be serious candidate for Rangers job’
Jose Mourinho sparked talk about him becoming the next manager of Rangers after saying he would be open to managing in Glasgow.
Mourinho received a crushing blow when a Rangers side managed by Barry Ferguson caused an upset over his Fenerbahce in Istanbul on Thursday (6 March), with the visitors claiming a 3-1 win in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League Round of 16 tie.
However, what the Portuguese manager said ahead of the game in Turkiye remains one of the biggest talking points in Scotland.
Asked if he would be open to taking the reins at Celtic or Rangers during his pre-match press conference, Mourinho left the door open for such a possibility.
Mourinho to change Fenerbahce stance after Rangers setback
As exciting as the claim was, it came with a footnote, with Mourinho clarifying that he is not looking for a new job, having only taken charge of Fenerbahce ahead of this season.
That has not stopped fans and pundits in Scotland from speculating about the possibility of the two-time UEFA Champions League winner taking the reins at Ibrox, where, unlike Chelsea, a permanent manager is not in place.
Andy Dunn is the latest person to suggest that Mourinho might now be a serious candidate for the managerial job at Rangers.
| Club | Term |
| Fenerbahce | 2024- |
| AS Roma | 2021-2024 |
| Tottenham | 2019-2021 |
| Manchester United | 2016-2018 |
| Chelsea | 2013-2015 |
The journalist is of the view that the 62-year-old’s stance of not wanting another change might change once the Light Blues knock his Fenerbahce out of the Europa League.
“When Rangers finish off what they started in their 3-1 victory in Istanbul, that might change”, Dunn wrote in the Sunday Mirror (page 63, 9 March).
“I suspect we have not seen the last of Jose on these shores.”
49ers could pull off Mourinho hire
It was not long ago that Rangers were holding off on sacking Philippe Clement because they did not want to shell out money to pay a severance fee.
The fact that many people think hiring Mourinho is a serious possibility is a sign of the promising things that could be in the pipeline at Ibrox once the takeover led by Paraag Marathe and Andrew Cavenagh goes through.
The consortium, including 49ers Enterprises, has an agreement in place to move forward with the deal, with only due diligence and paperwork remaining.
Once that is out of the way, there is no reason why they cannot pull off the appointment of Mourinho, although they might look in a different direction altogether.