Former Chelsea and Roma manager Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho’s last act as Roma manager was as typical of the former Blues boss as can be imagined. He simultaneously continued to compare himself to Harry Potter, motivated his troops, lost to AC Milan pretty meekly and did it all just a few days after all but ending the chances of Chelsea signing a long-term transfer target.
His exit comes in a way that has been seen all too often previously as well. His Roma had slid down the table, though were only five points off the top four, but had won one in five games and weren’t playing a particularly exciting brand of football either. Gone was the younger look to his team that had added gloss to impressive first two years.
The love for Mourinho hadn’t dissipated from the home support. After all, he had become the life and soul and embodiment of the club, but form had disappeared and so had vision. For Chelsea this comes at an interesting crossroads.
It is understandable why he is so sought after by some of the fans that have grown frustrated at the words ‘progress,’ ‘project’ and ‘reality.’ With Mauricio Pochettino under pressure to turn things around and Mourinho now out of a job it doesn’t take much wondering of the mind to imagine a world where he is back at Stamford Bridge.
His Roma departure could have wider impacts though. A growing link has been formed between Roma and Chelsea in recent years and it’s one that doesn’t look set to end now even if Mourinho has gone
In 2021 Tammy Abraham was sold by Chelsea for less than £40million and went on to score 27 goals in his first year in the Italian capital. Things have been harder since and injury curtailed this season before it even began, but Abraham remains a player adored by many of the Stamford Bridge faithful.
Two years later and Abraham was joined by the man signed to replace him: Romelu Lukaku. Lukaku was funded, in part, by Abraham’s sale under Thomas Tuchel. The £97.5million man didn’t match Abraham’s tally of 15 league goals in 2019/20 and fell out massively with the club just months into what was meant to be a fairy tale
Lukaku is having a better year in Italy after an underwhelming loan to Inter last term. He has scored eight times in 17 league games and continues to be far too strong for Europa League defences too. Mourinho signed Lukaku at Manchester United in 2017, was more than likely behind this deal here and will now leave the Belgian’s future uncertain.
Chelsea will be hopeful that at some stage a club risks buying Lukaku but that isn’t likely to be Roma. They already have the third largest wage bill in the league – Lukaku is one of the highest earners across Serie A – and have been working on a shoe string budget after Mourinho’s lavish first summer.
Abraham, on the other hand, has long been linked with swapping Rome for west London in a reverse of his transfer between the capitals. “Of course I grew up in England, I’m a London boy. So maybe one day I’ll be back in the Premier League to make noise there,” he said last year, hardly playing down the possibility.
He has been urged to return in the past by Reece James and openly said “never say never” when asked about the chance of a reunion at his old club too. It is reported that he still has a £69.5million release clause in his contract that became active over the summer. Chelsea were thought to be at least considering the prospect of it before his injury.
Mourinho was again someone behind the move for Abraham to Rome and his exit from the club could open up yet another departure in the wake. For Chelsea it’s red aler
Then to someone without current Chelsea ties but as strongly linked with a move as anyone in recent history: Paulo Dybala. The 30-year-old has long been a target for the Blues across different managers and owners and is one of the standout pieces of business by Mourinho at Roma, bringing him in on a free in 2022.
Since then Dybala has scored 24 times with 14 assists in 54 games. The tropes of his creativity are true but as are the injury prone ones. He has missed six games this season already with various problems. Having been a central hub to the team’s attacking play, it has become a serious problem.
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With an Argentine connection between Pochettino, Enzo Fernandez and Dybala the attraction has made sense in the past six months. Dybala would be an experienced head in a young team. It would also be a cheap option in comparison to the prices paid for a lack of output from recent signings.
Dybala won’t be moving for his tiny £10million release clause this window though, Mourinho or not, as the date for it to be activated has passed for now. It will be active once again in the summer and Chelsea could come sniffing.
With Danielle De Rossi taking over at Stadio Olimpico, half a season left to go with Europa League football still on the cards and a push up the table more than possible, it is hard to predict what Roma will do next.