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Tuesday, 04 December 2007 |
Mourinho ready for England
José Mourinho has stepped up his campaign to become the England head coach by authorising his personal spokesman, Eladio Paramés, to confirm publicly his interest in the job for the first time. With much of the country clamouring for the former Chelsea manager to be appointed, Mourinho has taken it upon himself to keep his name in the spotlight by revealing that he would view an approach from the Football Association as a huge honour and would consider any offer seriously.
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The Football Association have still not spoken with Mourinho about the post of England coach and are running an increasing risk of losing the people's favourite for the vacant position to club football. While Mourinho has spent much of the past week discussing with friends the pros and cons of returning to English football and is increasingly excited by the prospect of resurrecting the national team, he is not prepared to wait indefinitely for the FA to make a direct approach.
 According to some British news sources, but as yet unconfirmed by the Spanish press, Barcelona and Real Madrid have made clear to Mourinho their interest in employing him and are waiting for the right moment to replace their current coaches. With Real a game away from missing out on the Champions League knockout stages and Barcelona unhappy with Frank Rijkaard, a change could take place before the end of this month.
Paramés reacted angrily to suggestions that Mourinho was using England to flush out interest from a big club, such as AC Milan, Barcelona or Real Madrid. “That is all lies,” he said. 'Jose does not need England to get a job - he knows the jobs are there for him and it is just a matter of timing. To say he has to make a decision between a Spanish club and England is more accurate. He is genuinely interested in becoming England manager, but if the FA want him they will need to be quick.'
 Motivated by growing frustration at the FA’s refusal to declare its hand, Mourinho went much farther before flying off on a family holiday, with Paramés going to great lengths to emphasise his love for all things English and all but inviting Brian Barwick, the FA chief executive to make contact immediately. Yesterday it was the turn of Sir Alex Ferguson to hold talks with Barwick. It's believed that the Manchester United manager, in the company of club director Sir Bobby Charlton, spent up to two hours advising Barwick in a meeting at Old Trafford. Ferguson is thought likely to have endorsed the candidature of Mourinho and the former Chelsea manager remains the bookies' favourite to replace Steve McClaren.
“There’s been no direct contact from the FA, or on its behalf, but it would be an honour,” Paramés said. “He likes English football, the English people, the country and the players. But he’s not waving his hand in the air trying to get the FA’s attention. If he’s approached, he’ll reply. “We don’t know if Mr Barwick comes or doesn’t come. If he comes, of course, he can talk with his agent. They’ll listen, like they’ll listen if there comes another club or another situation. I’m sure he’d consider the offer.”
 Jose Mourinho is reportedly one of four names on the FA's preliminary short-list for the job of England manager. The former Chelsea manager, alongside Fabio Capello and Jurgen Klinsmann are known to be interested in the position and the FA is preparing to make contact with their representatives in due course.
It's not clear who the fourth candidate is, or when the FA can be expected to complete the search. They remain adamant that they will not be rushed into a decision and Brian Barwick, the FA chief executive, is still in the process of canvassing opinions over who the governing body should appoint. An FA spokesman said: 'No candidate has been spoken to by either Brian or Trevor Brooking - who are responsible for identifying the new manager - and we are not putting any time scale on when we will.'
Mourinho has been impressed by public calls for the FA to approach him and is eager to have the question posed to him directly. 'We talk about it every day,' a friend said. He has begun discussing outline strategies for leading the national team with his assistants. Wherever Mourinho is next employed, assistant coach Rui Faria, tactical scout Andre Villas Boas and goalkeeping coach Silvino Louro will go with him. Steve Clarke and Baltemar Brito, his other main assistants at Chelsea, would be invited according to the position and their personal circumstances. Clarke last month agreed a significantly improved contract at Stamford Bridge, but he has not been guaranteed his salary beyond the end of this season.
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