The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) see Jose Mourinho as a target for the next Super Eagles boss.
NFF president Amaju Pinnick claims to have spoken with the Portuguese about taking the job.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria are in a rebuild and in the market for a top-quality manager to handle the affairs of Nigeria’s senior national team.
Only recently, Gernot Rohr lost his job as Super Eagles coach for the dismal performances they churned out in the lead to qualifying for the final round of World Cup qualifiers.
Augustine Eguavoen took over as interim coach till a new manager. Reports suggest that the NFF may announce a new manager as early as next week, which has set the rumour mill agog. No names have come up, but the latest reports suggest that Jose Mourinho is a likely candidate for the job.
Pinnick eyes Jose Mourinho
Two weeks ago, The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) announced the dismissal of German tactician Gernot Rohr as the head coach of the Super Eagles. Doubts remain over Eguavoen leading the team to the Africa Cup of Nations, which kicks off on January 9. Jose Mourinho has popped up as the latest candidate for the job.
According to the latest unconfirmed reports, the Portuguese, who is barely six months in his role at Roma, has come up as a target for the NFF.
Amaju Pinnick wants a manager capable of landing the Africa Cup of Nations and shocking the world at the Mundial in Qatar.
According to Daily Trust, Amaju Pinnick claims to have had discussions with the former Real Madrid and Chelsea manager about taking the job of Super Eagles manager. The report claims that that the emphasis on the new coach is discipline and the hunger to win trophies.
Pinnick wants a coach that can instill discipline in the national side and a hunger to win.
When questioned on Mourinho and links to the Super Eagles top job, Pinnick did not deny the rumours. According to Pinnick, he and the sports minister had a chat with Mourinho, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Other candidates and lofty ambitions
It is hard to take this news seriously considering how the federation has bungled the management of the national team affairs in the past. Pinnick is right to dream, but it smacks of lofty ambitions. A Federation that can barely pay the salary of an unknown entity like Gernot Rohr has its gaze on one of the highest-paid managers in the world.
You cannot begrudge Pinnick his desires, but it will be a tough task to prise Mourinho off a job he has hardly started. Mourinho signed a three-year contract at Roma in May, declaring that he wants to build a winning project in the next few years. Despite Mourinho's difficulties at Roma, it will be a monumental task convincing him to abandon ship.
According to Pinnick, other candidates are in line for the job. Pinnick said he also chatted with former Porto and Sporting Lisbon boss Jose Peseiro and Mladen Krstajic before he joined Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Until a new manager arrives, it is best to take the news with a pinch of salt.
This article was most recently revised and updated 3 years ago
