In a world determined by recency bias, it seems odd that Jose Mourinho is reportedly being called on to swoop in and rescue Chelsea from their latest crisis.
Mauricio Pochettino‘s side have struggled throughout the campaign, there is no doubting that, and while Chelsea are a club that can’t really be judged by the normal measures, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to put much of a positive spin on their season.
Mourinho, by all means, has hardly had a stellar season either as he finds himself without a job after being sacked by Roma earlier in the campaign with his former club then sat ninth in the Serie A table.
Yet Mourinho – surely among the greatest Blues legends of the last 25 years – has always kept the door open for a return to ‘my Chelsea’, as he affectionately refers to the club he lives 200 metres away from – something fans are starting to recall.
The only thing is, it’s a very different outfit from the one he joined in 2004, and then again in 2013, so the question is quite simple: Chelsea have spent themselves into an over-crowded squad and FFP problems so bad they can’t even sack their current boss – so why does he even want to come back?
Chelsea have struggled this season under Mauricio Pochettino with the manager now at risk
Jose Mourinho was dismissed as Roma boss after his side were left ninth in the Serie A
The Portuguese manager is considered among the greatest legends at the Blues
Mourinho, for most of us, is inextricably linked to Chelsea, having sauntered and smirked his way into our collective consciousness in the early 2000s after his monumental achievements with Porto.
For some, he exists as an almost mythical figure, with younger fans perhaps struggling to match this increasingly brittle, toxic and spiky character with the tales of his charisma and exploits from his first spell in west London.
Some might point to his downward career trajectory in recent years, but it remains he has the footballing brain to transform any team in the planet. The only obstacle has really been his own malleability – or rather lack thereof.
At Chelsea, though, he would find a club prepared to roll out the red carpet for him, and largely attend to his every beck and call. Pochettino is a fine manager, among the best in the world, but at Chelsea they simply do not come higher than Mourinho.
For a manager that loves getting his way as much as Mourinho…