Italian side, Roma have announced the appointment of Jose Mourinho as their new head coach for the 2021/22 season.
The former Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid manager Mourinho has only been out of work for less than a month after he was sacked by Tottenham. He’ll now return to Serie A to manage Roma, who confirmed the departure of Paulo Fonseca earlier on Tuesday May 4.
Mourinho, who spent two successful seasons in Italy from 2008-2010, winning the league twice with Inter Milan along with the Champions League and Coppa Italia, signed a deal until 2024 with Roma.
“We are thrilled and delighted to welcome Jose Mourinho into the AS Roma family,” Roma president Dan Friedkin and vice-president Ryan Friedkin said in a statement.
“A great champion who has won trophies at every level, Jose will provide tremendous leadership and experience to our ambitious project. The appointment of José is a huge step in building a long-term and consistent winning culture throughout the club.”
Mourinho said: “Thank you to the Friedkin family for choosing me to lead this great club and to be part of their vision.
“After meetings with the ownership and [general manager] Tiago Pinto, I immediately understood the full extent of their ambitions for AS Roma. It is the same ambition and drive that has always motivated me and together we want to build a winning project over the upcoming years.
“The incredible passion of the Roma fans convinced me to accept the job and I cannot wait to start next season. In the meantime, I wish Paulo Fonseca all the best and I hope the media appreciate that I will only speak further in due course. Daje Roma!”
Mourinho spent 17 months in charge of Tottenham and was sacked with the club in seventh place in the Premier League.
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The club are delighted to announce an agreement has been reached with Jose Mourinho for him to become our new head coach ahead of the 2021-22 season.
#ASRoma pic.twitter.com/f5YGGIVFJp— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) May 4, 2021