[versa]

Mourinho To Sign For Inter On Monday?

Goal.com


Jose Mourinho has told Michael Essien that he will sign for Inter on Monday according to La Gazzetta Dello Sport.

The former Chelsea coach has been linked with the club ever since current boss, Roberto Mancini, walked out on the club only to make a dramatic U-turn on his decision.

Mancini still hasn't confirmed his position with the Nerazzurri and he may leave in the summer. Meanwhile the Special One is currently free and waiting to pounce and, according to reports, he has claimed that he will sign for Inter on Monday.

Gazzetta claim Mourinho sent Chelsea midifielder Michael Essien a text message after the Moscow Champions League final telling him the news of his new adventure with the Nerazzurri.

The text reads: "Michael, you have all been great players regardless of the loss to Manchester United. On Monday I will sign for Inter and I hope that one day you too will come to Inter."

It seems as if Mourinho will take half of the Chelsea squad with him if he signs, as Inter are also interested in Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba.

Mancini has been linked with moves to Chelsea and Manchester City and if he does leave San Siro then the door would be wide open for Mourinho to walk in.

Inter are desperate to win the Champions League and Moratti would prefer someone who has experience of victory in the competition in the past to take the reins at San Siro.

 

[Nemanjaaa]

Haha i hope he does!

 

[sparkic]

That would be a good move for Mourinhio imo

 

[Devilzz91]

Hopefully, if Jose Mourinho does take over Inter, he will bring Lampard and Drogba with him. This will totally nullify any attacking threat that Chelsea currently have. Even if they do splash the cash to sign a replacement, who is to say they'll be as good?

 

[frenchie]

Hopefully, if Jose Mourinho does take over Inter, he will bring Lampard and Drogba with him. This will totally nullify any attacking threat that Chelsea currently have. Even if they do splash the cash to sign a replacement, who is to say they'll be as good?

if jose does take the job and thats a big if, can't see frank lampard leaving chelsea,not with his family situation as it is,he's blue through and through,won't happen.drogba on the other hand will most defo leave,he's supposed to be having talks with chelsea in the next couple of days to sort out his future,brilliant striker but well temperemental,they'll get someone in i don't doubt that,but it will be intersting the next few weeks to see what happens.

 

[dlan4327]

Exactly as it sounds folks. This season has seen a number of high profile coaches becoming stay at home dads, for a while.

Now that it's time for clubs to pick their new managers who is going where?

I'll start. Apparently Roberto Mancini sounded out Chelsea, or should I say Abramovich, about the recently vacated post at Chelsea.

He was rejected. Soundly. So I'm guessing two things. One Mancini is rather red faced and two he's probably leaving Inter.

So he won't be managing Chelsea and may in fact be out of work coaching wise. This also means that Inter will be on the prowl.

I'm guessing that Mourinho's going to Inter and can finally get back to his job. Flirting with the press.

Rijkaard. Chelsea? Maybe. They've got Ten Cate but who can fathom Abramovich's mind?

The only other realsitic possibility for Chelsea is Hiddink but I'd say he'll want to try his luck at the Euro's with Russia.

Announcing he's signing with Chelsea would destabilise the Russian team.

Sven? Not the foggiest. Is he staying? I mean I know he's said no to Benfica. He's talked about Mexico. Still dont know.

Who'll get the City job? Someone who wants all the stress of the Chelsea job with a fraction of their budget.

Considering the only attraction of the Chelsea job is the budget, City are in for a rough ride. If Sven has been sacked after all.

Gone on, impress me with your predictions.

 

[versa]

Should be an interesting thread to keep us occupied in the pre-season.

Ok, as you said about Mancini being rejected by Chelski, let me be the first post-er here.


goal.com


Chelsea Reject Mancini

According to the Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter Milan boss Roberto Mancini approached Chelsea yesterday about their vacant manager’s job, only to suffer a humiliating rejection.

The search to find a new boss at Chelsea is on following the sacking of Avram Grant, and the coaches who have been mostly strongly linked with the position in the media include Frank Rijkaard, Guus Hiddink, Sven Goran Eriksson and Mancini.

The Inter tactician, who last week won his third straight Scudetto in Italy, has been heavily tipped to leave San Siro after a somewhat tumultuous campaign off-the-pitch.

The Gazzetta claims that Mancini contacted Chelsea yesterday to notify them of his interest in the job, only to be told straight that he wasn’t wanted.

“His representatives have repeatedly knocked on our door, but he isn’t our man,” a source inside the club reportedly stated.

Mancini is still refusing to speak to the media, and kept his silence once again following last night’s 2-1 Coppa Italia final defeat to Roma at the Stadio Olimpico.

The ex-Lazio and Sampdoria player will meet President Massimo Moratti in the week to discuss his future, but many still strongly believe that Jose Mourinho has already signed a pre-contract to replace him.

 

[RedForceRising]

The circus continues: Manchester City line up sacked Grant

AVRAM GRANT, sacked by Chelsea last night after less than nine months in charge, is in line for a quick return to Premier League management with Manchester City. Meanwhile, Sir Alex Ferguson, whose United side beat Chelsea in the Champions League final in Moscow on Wednesday, has vowed he will leave his post in three years “at the very, very most”.

Grant, who said his farewells to the Chelsea players on Friday, was summoned to meet Roman Abramovich, the club’s owner, at his London home to be informed of his dismissal in person. The two men are long-standing friends, and Abramovich did not want the Israeli to be told by anybody else.

However, he has now emerged as the favourite to succeed Sven-Göran Eriksson, who lost the confidence of City owner Thaksin Shinawatra in the second half of the season. Luiz Felipe Scolari, the Brazilian World Cup-winner who coaches Portugal, was first choice but is believed to have priced himself out of the job.

Shinawatra, unlike Abramovich, was impressed by the fact that Grant’s Chelsea ran Manchester United close in the domestic championship and were within John Terry’s missed penalty of beating them in Moscow. He is further attracted by the dignity Grant has shown in difficult circumstances since taking over from Jose Mourinho last year. City are understood to have made offers for four players, for a total of £20m, since the end of the Premier League season, with Pini Zahavi, the Israeli “super agent”, acting on their behalf.

City’s appointment of Grant would have a certain irony, Eriksson having been courted by Chelsea before Mourinho got the job, and currently being linked with it again, although that is probably wishful thinking on his part. Zahavi is again involved here, recommending the former England coach to Abramovich. The favourite to replace Grant at Stamford Bridge remains Frank Rijkaard, who is leaving Barcelona after five years, during which time he won the European Cup, in 2006. Reports in Italy last night suggested Mourinho was about to replace Roberto Mancini at Internazionale, and make Frank Lampard his first signing for the Milan club.


- See, this is really funny to me. It seems that s%^& travels in the same cricles. Maybe City can now turn to Chris Mort to act as Technical Director of Football or some other post and get Chris Warnock to be Grant's assistant....... *altogether now* ahahahahahahahaha




Article No. 2
Candidates line up to succeed Grant

A host of names have already been linked with the Chelsea manager's job even though Avram Grant was not sacked until Saturday.

Grant's tenure at Stamford Bridge was always viewed as a stop-gap measure even though the club consistently denied he would be leaving.

But the attention now switches to those men most likely to replace the 52-year-old Israeli and the first name in the frame is Frank Rijkaard. He was linked with the job as soon as previous boss Jose Mourinho was axed last September.

Rijkaard has just been released by Barcelona after failing to win a trophy for the Spaniards in the last two seasons.

He is a friend of Frank Arnesen, who controls the club's scouting network, and has worked with assistant coach Henk ten Cate at the Nou Camp.

But Rijkaard has no Premier League experience and there have been recent concerns over his health as well as personal issues.

Dutchman Guus Hiddink is another favoured contender. Like Grant, he is a close friend of the club's billionaire owner Roman Abramovich and regarded as the world's best tactician.

Hiddink has consistently denied being interested in the Chelsea job but has as yet, somewhat significantly, not signed a new deal with the Russian Federation.

Abramovich is currently paying his salary to manage Russia and while there is no doubting his pedigree, he has not been involved in club football for some time.

Hiddink has more recently been associated with the international game with spells in South Korea and Australia before taking on the Russian job.

Sven-Goran Eriksson is understood to have rejected the job on two previous occasions and was infamously caught out secretly meeting the club's chief executive Peter Kenyon on one occasion.

His future at Manchester City is unclear and, like Hiddink, he boasts a fine record at club and international level.

But Chelsea fans are unlikely to welcome the Swede and that may dampen the club's willingness to pursue him. Then, of course, there is the most unlikely prospect of the return of fan's favourite Mourinho.

The 'Special One' was axed last September and replaced by the luckless Grant. Mourinho went after Chelsea's first Champions League game against a weak Rosenborg side ended in a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.

Mourinho's relationship with the board, and Abramovich in particular, had deteriorated so much that both sides opted to call it a day.

Mourinho has been out of a job ever since but is favourite to join Inter Milan in the summer even though his relationship with Chelsea's Russian owner has been rebuilt in the last two months.

But his style of football was part of the reason for the severance in the first place and he would find it difficult to adopt another, more attacking approach.

But at a club that opted to replace him with a 52-year-old Israeli, who had never managed in England before and was a virtual unknown outside his own country, anything is possible. Even the return of the 'Special One'.

 

[Dynamite]

It wont suprise me if chelsea get sven, that's just my opinion!!

 

[versa]

Chelsea begins hunt for new manager, a day after firing Avram Grant

AP


LONDON: An opportunity to lead one of the wealthiest soccer clubs in the world has opened. However, failure to win trophies will not be tolerated.

Chelsea is on the lookout for a new manager after firing Avram Grant on Saturday, three days after the Blues lost the Champions League final to Manchester United on penalty kicks in Moscow.

Grant replaced the popular Jose Mourinho eight months ago and defied skeptics by taking the club to the final of the League Cup and Champions League. But Chelsea lost both finals, which each went to extra time, and finished just two points behind champion Man United in the Premier League title race.

That was enough for Chelsea owner and Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, who had brought Grant to the club as director of soccer in July 2007 before promoting him to manager two months later.

"I took on the job at a very difficult time, but Chelsea have pulled the plug on me," Grant was quoted as saying in Sunday's editions of the News of the World. "I feel very hurt, upset and angry."

The biggest coaching names in the world are being mentioned as his replacement. They include former Italy coach Marcello Lippi, outgoing FC Barcelona's Frank Rijkaard, Inter Milan's Roberto Mancini, Russia's Guus Hiddink, Manchester City's Sven-Goran Eriksson, Portugal's Luis Felipe Scolari and Blackburn's Mark Hughes, who played for Chelsea.

Even Mourinho is reportedly back in the frame, despite leaving after falling out with Abramovich.

Former Chelsea manager Glenn Hoddle said whoever took over would have to be able to deal with the hands-on style of Abramovich.

"It's different than managing any other club," said Hoddle, who led Chelsea from 1993-96. "You can understand if someone is putting that amount of finances into a club, he wants a say. I think this is where football and business really are different.

"Whoever they go for will be high profile and for me, whoever comes in, you know the wicket is going to be a sticky wicket if you want (to make) every single decision."

Abramovich will be able to check out what the supporters want from a phone-in on the club's in-house television station on Monday night.

Chelsea said on its Web site that it will screen a program to look at Grant's time at the club and the phone-in "will give fans a chance to speak on who and what kind of manager you want to replace him."

Meanwhile, Grant has reportedly been lined up to take over at Manchester City. Eriksson is still in charge, but owner Thaksin Shinawatra is expected to end his contract before the start of next season.

 

[Damian]

What odds can you get on a mourinho return?

he and Roman Abramavich have made friends again with the later buying a £2 million car

 

[Keano!]

Jose's at 16/1 on Ladbrokes

Wengers at 50/1!

 

[spellbound]

Tomorrow we'll find out

 

[Jazz 16]

Inter will become a serious force if they get Jose and maybe a player or 2 like
Drogba and Lampard. They have won the Italian league again, and with a
quality manager like him they could go far in the CL over the next few years.
A team to avoid in the early rounds anyway....

 

[dlan4327]

It's weird isn't it? It's like every 10 years in football there's a new team that eveyone loaths. Take Inter for example.

10 years ago Inter had Ronaldo and everybody loved them because they entertained and tried so hard yet they never won.

Conversly Juve at roughly the same time were like Chelsea. A squad that just kept dominating and were so strong.

Didn't exactly endear themselves to the broader public. Fast forward a decade and it's the other way round.

Inter and just raking in the titles while Juve are playing gorgeous football and finishing third.

10 years ago it was all about United and Arsenal. Now it's United Chelsea. Maybe in 5 years it'lll be United Liverpool.

Sorry but I can't envisage a situation where United aren't in it to win it. Either way just a funny thought about how times change.

10 years ago Chelsea were just another team and Leeds were a club that rarely finished outside the top 5.

Strange, huh?

 

[sparkic]

It's weird isn't it? It's like every 10 years in football there's a new team that eveyone loaths. Take Inter for example.

10 years ago Inter had Ronaldo and everybody loved them because they entertained and tried so hard yet they never won.

Conversly Juve at roughly the same time were like Chelsea. A squad that just kept dominating and were so strong.

Didn't exactly endear themselves to the broader public. Fast forward a decade and it's the other way round.

Inter and just raking in the titles while Juve are playing gorgeous football and finishing third.

10 years ago it was all about United and Arsenal. Now it's United Chelsea. Maybe in 5 years it'lll be United Liverpool.

Sorry but I can't envisage a situation where United aren't in it to win it. Either way just a funny thought about how times change.

10 years ago Chelsea were just another team and Leeds were a club that rarely finished outside the top 5.

Strange, huh?

I was just telling that to my mates the other day...its funny how football change and one season your in the CL semis (Leeds) and the next your fighting for promotion or relegation lol...The reason imo that Man United have been consistant is because of our manager and once he leaves we must not fold over and let others dominate our trophies!

 

[versa]

Mourinho Takes Over At Inter – Report

goal.com


According to Portuguese sports daily 'A Bola', Jose Mourinho and Inter have come to an agreement for the former Chelsea man to replace Roberto Mancini as coach.

It was reported in the Italian press earlier today that Mourinho had made up his mind that he wanted the job at Inter, but had issued the club’s President Massimo Moratti a deadline of midnight tonight to make or break the deal.

Moratti, who was said to be having second thoughts about whether or not to keep Roberto Mancini on, has now, according to A Bola, decided that Mourinho is indeed his man.

The 45-year-old has apparently been handed a three-year contract at San Siro, and will earn €9m per-season.

As part of the deal, Mourinho will immediately be allowed to sign former players Frank Lampard from Chelsea, and Deco from Barcelona, while Luis Figo will be handed a one-year extension to his current contract that runs out next month.

The Mancini era, which yielded three successive Scudetti appears now to be over, although it must be noted that there is still no official confirmation.

 

[dlan4327]

Sven's agent says there have been talks with Mexico so if you're a gambling man/woman...

Anybody hear from Allardyce?

Oh and Mourinho to Inter I'm pretty conmfident on that one now too.

I'd also say Rijkaard to Chelsea. Still we'll just wait and see.

 

[versa]

Sven's agent says there have been talks with Mexico so if you're a gambling man/woman...

Anybody hear from Allardyce?

Oh and Mourinho to Inter I'm pretty conmfident on that one now too.

I'd also say Rijkaard to Chelsea. Still we'll just wait and see.

Keep coming, guys. How else to keep occupied in this pre-season? And also speculate and update a bit on the other RFR's thread on United too. These two threads are perfect for this period.

 

[Red Devil]

versa, wake me up when your finished