Jose Mourinho will reportedly become the highest-paid manager in football history if he takes the Manchester Unitedhot seat next season.
Neil Custis of the Sun reported the former Chelsea boss will sign a three-year contract worth a cool £60 million, which includes bonuses for titles and trophies.
The £20 million per year total even eclipses the staggering £15 million rate that Pep Guardiola will pocket when he moves to Manchester Citynext season and is said to be almost twice what current United manager Louis van Gaal earns, according to Custis.
Mourinho has been linked with the top job at United ever since Sir Alex Ferguson departed the club, and Custis said the 53-year-old was stunned when David Moyes was handed the role over him to kick off the post-Fergie era.
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Van Gaal’s tenure hasn’t exactly been much better, which raises the question as to whether or not Mourinho can, in fact, reverse the club’s fortunes.
Underneath the barrage of mind games and ludicrous media interviews lies a quite remarkable tactician—one who could restore pride and belief at United.
One player who knows Mourinho better than most is former Chelsea star Frank Lampard, who told Franco Panizo of Goal that the Portuguese has the attributes to succeed:
I think Mourinho can manage anywhere in the world.
I think he’s shown it with his record and whether it’s with Porto, a so-called smaller team in Europe; Chelsea, the success he had there; Inter, again taking a team that’s hardly won the Champions League to go and win it; Real Madrid.
No job will be too much for him. [United is] not an easy job, … but he certainly has the attributes to do it.
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Mourinho didn’t seem to handle Chelsea particularly well before his dismissal in December, with reports of him falling out with key players and subsequently losing the dressing room, per Sky Sports.
United desperately need a manager who can bring the best out of their underperforming stars, and it’s safe to say that his ruthless approach could do exactly that.
Attracting the biggest stars in the game will also be a big job for Mourinho, with rebuilding the squad a big priority. And for £20 million per year, United will expect nothing less.