Jose Mourinho set for ugly reunion with player who's father called his time under the manager 'sad'

The former Manchester United, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Spurs and Roma boss could be back in management soon

Jose Mourinho could be soon to return to management in a new country he has not been at the helm of a team in – but he could be set for an awkward reunion with a player whose father called his time under the manager ‘sad’.

The 61-year-old has been out of work since he left Italian side Roma in mid-January, and speculation has swirled ever since about where his next destination could be.

The Portuguese is one of the greatest managers of all time, having won league titles in Spain, England and Italy during his management career.

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He burst onto the scene by winning the European Cup with Porto, before moving to Chelsea in 2004 and winning back-to-back titles at Stamford Bridge.

Mourinho won a historic Treble with Inter Milan in 2010, before a move to Real Madrid and beating Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona to the La Liga title in the process.

A return to Chelsea and another Premier League title followed, before a switch to Manchester United seeing him win the Europa League and League Cup with the Old Trafford club, plus leading them to runners-up behind Manchester City in 2018.

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A disappointing spell which yielded no silverware at Tottenham Hotspur then followed, and a move to Roma saw him win the Europa Conference League in 2022, before departing the Rome club earlier this year.

Jose Mourinho could be in line for a return to football management. (
Getty)

And as per comments from Besiktas vice-president Huseyin Yucel, the Turkish club has held talks with Mourinho, with a management offer which was “welcomed”.

According to Turkish outlet Sports Digitale and translated by Football Italia, Yucel said: “We contacted Jose Mourinho a month ago and he welcomed our offer. We already resolved the economic details and will go to Italy next week so we can meet face to face.

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“If we reach an agreement with Mourinho, then we will recommend he include Ricardo Quaresma in the staff.”

If Mourinho does take the job at Besiktas, which would be a new country for him to manage in, it would lead to an awkward reunion with a former player.

Gedson Fernandes moved to Spurs in January 2020 on an 18-month loan deal from Benfica, brought to North London by Mourinho.

But Fernandes only ended up playing 14 times for Spurs before the deal was cut short after a year.

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He now plays for Besiktas, and it could mean an awkward reunion with Mourinho, which his father Edeson once described his son’s lack of game time at Spurs as “sad”.

Back in 2020 to Desporto, he said: “He went to Tottenham to play, because at Benfica he also played little. Going there not to play is sad.”

Fernandes has played 80 times and scored six goals since moving to Besiktas in 2022 – but a potentially awkward reunion could be in store in due course.

Featured Image Credit: Getty

Topics: Jose Mourinho, Besiktas, Manchester United, Real Madrid, AS Roma, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, FC Porto