Mourinho signs up for Roma therapy after Spurs sacking

Just over two weeks after Tottenham Hotspur turfed him out for poor results, Jose Mourinho has found pastures new as head coach at Roma.

The 58-year-old Portuguese will take over from compatriot Paulo Fonseca on a three-year deal in June.

"We are thrilled and delighted to welcome Jose Mourinho into the AS Roma family," club president Dan Friedkin and vice-president Ryan Friedkin said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

"A great champion who has won trophies at every level, Jose will provide tremendous leadership and experience to our ambitious project.

"The appointment of Jose is a huge step in building a long-term and consistent winning culture throughout the club."

Mourinho, who was at Spurs for 17 months, returns to Italy where he led Inter Milan to the 2009 Serie A crown. The following year they retained that trophy and notched up an unprecedented treble with the Coppa Italia and Champions League titles.

He moved to Real Madrid where he claimed La Liga in 2012 before returning to Chelsea in 2013. The Premier League title followed in May 2015.

Winner
At Manchester United between 2016 and 2018, he took the team to glory in the League Cup and Europa League. Spurs has been the only outift where he has not lifted silverware since 2002.

"Thank you to the Friedkin family for choosing me to lead this great club and to be part of their vision," Mourinho said in a statement.

"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."

Roma have not won Italy's top flight since 2001 and they are unlikely to be distracted during the next campaign by European competitions.

With four games remaining of the 2020/21 season, they are seventh, nine points behind city rivals Lazio who occupy the second slot for the Europa League.

Roma's participation in this season's competition looks compromised too. They go into Thursday's second leg of their semi-final against Manchester United trailing 6-2.

"When Jose became available, we immediately jumped at the chance to speak with one of the greatest managers of all time," said Roma general manager Tiago Pinto.

"We were blown away by Jose's desire to win and his passion for the game: no matter how many trophies he has won, his primary focus is always on the next one. He possesses the knowledge, experience and leadership to compete at all levels."