JOSE MOURINHO has reportedly agreed to become the new manager of Saudi Al-Shabab.
The special was sacked by Roma earlier this week after a poor run in Serie A.
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Jose Mourinho is set to take charge of Saudi Arabia’s Al-Shabab after leaving RomaCredit: AP
But he is reportedly ready for an immediate return to the beautiful game after holding positive talks with Al-Shabab chiefs on Thursday.
Aawsat claims Mourinho held a Zoom meeting with sporting director Dominic Tite before verbally agreeing to become their new manager.
The Saudi Professional League’s recruiting team has already given Al-Shabab permission to discuss a mega-money deal.
And Mourinho will reportedly fly to Riyadh in the coming days to finalize the terms of his new deal.
The former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham boss has clearly impressed Tite with his knowledge of the Saudi sports project.
Al-Shabab have not won the Pro League title for 12 years, while their last trophy was ten years ago in the Saudi King’s Cup.
And Mourinho has reportedly vowed to bring them back to the top by filling the squad with top international players in a super spending spree this summer.
He admitted last year that his travels would eventually take him to the Middle East.
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Mourinho said: “I will go to Saudi Arabia in my free time, but I am confident that I will work there.
“I don’t know when, but I’m pretty sure about it. Nobody knows the future, but I’m going to do this for sure.”
Al-Shabab is currently 11th in the Saudi professional league table, and they were recently led by former Liverpool player and Champions League winner Igor Bišćan.
The former Croatian national team member was appointed only in October, but lasted only 11 games after only three wins.
He was shown the door after Christmas, and Al-Shabab has been under the watchful eye of the watchdog ever since.
Unlike their Saudi rivals, they cannot boast of a large number of international stars.
Belgian winger Yannick Carrasco is their star player, costing just £13m from Atletico Madrid last summer.
Former Wolves defender Romain Saiss and ex-Argentine midfielder Ever Banega are also on Al-Shabab’s books.
But their move for Mourinho shows they are ready to start making a splash in a bid to challenge Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr and N’Golo Kante’s Al-Ittihad.
If he accepts the job, it will be Mourinho’s first stint outside of Europe.
He was sacked by Roma on Tuesday following a 3-1 defeat at AC Milan, which left the main club ninth in Serie A.
Mourinho left the training ground in tears after making an emotional connection with the fans.
He guided Roma to their first continental trophy in 2022 when they won the inaugural European Conference League.
Mourinho then led them to last season’s Europa League final, where they lost on penalties to Sevilla.
Roma have since appointed club legend Daniele De Rossi as interim boss until the end of the season, with his first game tomorrow against Verona.
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Source: HIS Education