From Chelsea, Man Utd to Tottenham - Why Everton should avoid Mourinho's declining appeal

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 18 Jan 2022 20:20 GMT
• 4 min read

Jose Mourinho is undoubtedly one of the very best managers in Premier League history.

The "Special One", as he dubbed himself, arrived on English shores following immense success at Porto, and hit the ground running at Chelsea.

He delivered back-to-back league titles to Stamford Bridge, with his defensive solidity a work of concise art. He was charismatic, and Chelsea were in awe of him.

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Behind the scenes issues ensued, and Mourinho moved to Inter and then Real Madrid, experiencing success at both clubs, including a treble for the San Siro giants.

Then came his eagerly-anticipated return to the Premier League. Back at Chelsea, Mourinho was back to his old tricks. A 2-0 away win at Anfield, that played a huge role in Liverpool's title collapse, epitomised what he was about; as did the 2014/15 title winning season.

However, things took a turn for the worse soon after. His row with Eva Carneiro, after the physio ran onto the pitch to treat Eden Hazard on the opening day of the 2015/16 campaign, was the start, and since then Mourinho hasn't been the same.

The start of that season was quite frankly awful, and he left Chelsea with the side 16th in the table, just one point above the relegation places. It tainted his career at the club, and it's affected every role he's taken since.

Mourinho's public battle with players began following nine defeats in 16 games to start the 2015/16 season at Chelsea, and it's an issue that plagues his managerial style to this day.

Spells at Manchester United and Tottenham weren't quite fruitful, or long-lasting, and he now finds himself at Roma in Italy. After a promising start to the 2021/22 Serie A campaign, the side now face an upward battle to reach the Champions League.

But, Mourinho has been linked with the vacant Everton job. The sacking of Rafa Benitez has, of course, left the role empty, and reports have suggested Mourinho is a potential candidate. Sports journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed that the job isn't of interest to Mourinho, but his name will remain in the conversation until Everton appoint a permanent manager.

However, his recent record in the Premier League should put the Goodison Park outfit off.

What is Jose Mourinho's Premier League Record?

When he first arrived at Chelsea, Mourinho was an instant hit. Trophies arrived within a year of his appointment, and even when he left the club in that first stint, he was still performing well.

Mourinho was winning an average of 2.23 Points Per Game (PPG) during his first spell at Chelsea, which demonstrates how good that team was. By comparison, Pep Guardiola has averaged 2.34 PPG over his time at Manchester City.

However, once Mourinho returned following his adventures in Italy and Spain, it marked a downward trajectory. During his second stint at Chelsea he was averaging 1.96 PPG, which was certainly worsened by the end to that spell.

Upon moving to Man Utd, big things were expected of Mourinho. He delivered a League Cup and a Europa League during his time at Old Trafford, and stabilised his PPG. at 1.97.

However, his time at Tottenham caused serious concerns. At just 1.77 PPG, Mourinho was unable to elevate the side back to the levels it had been able to perform at under Mauricio Pochettino.

It was a damning spell on Mourinho's resume, and highlighted the fact he's simply not one of the very best in the world anymore.

His time at Roma has been fairly average, but his decline in the Premier League is the thing that should worry Everton more than anything. He's a manager on a downward slope, and until he can prove himself again, they should look for a safer option.

Benitez's row with Lucas Digne cost Everton one of their best players, and they lost him to a rival; bring in Mourinho and similar things could happen again given his record of player disputes.