If ever there was a club who’s experienced complete “book ends” in terms of managerial appointments it has to be Newcastle. From the absolute joke figures of Joe Kinnear and Steve McLaren to a genuinely elite coach in Rafa Benitez.
Some reports are trying to suggest they might be about to see a similar situation again if Peter Kenyon’s takeover bid is successful.
According to The Sun, if he manages to take over the club then Kenyon has Jose Mourinho as his number once choice to become the manager. It might seem a bit harsh on Steve Bruce who’s done better than expected, but if they had the chance to take Mourinho they would be mad to turn that down.
It would be an incredibly interesting appointment when you consider Mourinho’s managerial history. Of course he’s been incredibly successful but he’s also been sacked from his past three jobs.
The other thing that needs to be considered is the stature of club he’s managed in the past. Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Man United are all elite clubs with big resources and world class players.
Will all due respect to Newcastle, this would be the first time he’s managed a team with expectations to avoid relegation rather than win trophies. You would expect he would need a big transfer budget to improve the team and to adjust his own expectations.
It would also reverse the usual situation of Benitez taking over at a club after Mourinho has left under a storm where the Spaniard needs to fix his mess.
At this point it’s unclear if the takeover bid will go through, but it would be fascinating to see what happens if it does.