Is Jose Mourinho really set for Inter Milan move?

Ever since he was sacked by Manchester United in December, Jose Mourinho has been … almost immediately … linked with a return to Inter Milan.

Some of you are already saying “Uh, no.” While some of you might be welcoming the prospect of bringing the “Special One” back to the Giuseppe Meazza.

Media across Europe has been diving into the possibility today, suggesting that Mourinho had lunch with Inter Milan CEO Beppe Marotta, suggesting he is seriously expecting to return to Inter at some point in time.

It bears repeating that Mourinho does have a very good relationship with Inter. After winning the treble in the 2009-10 season, he left on good terms to Real Madrid.

In January, Mourinho suggested that managing Inter was the best time he ever had as a manager.

“I have to be objective and respectful of them and to say a team who won everything from day one until the last day,” Mourinho said on beIN Sports, via Football Italia. “They won all the competitions, won the Treble, beat the best team in the world Barcelona 3-1, beat Bayern Munich 2-0 in the Champions League Final, won the League in Italy with a fantastic number of points, won the cup and won three Finals in 10 days, so I have to say they’re the best team.”

A lot of Interisti hold Mourinho in high esteem because of what he accomplished in such a short time at Inter. And, let’s be honest, at one point in time, Mourinho was a great manager. He won the Copa del Rey in 2011 and the La Liga title a season later. He also won the Supercopa de Espana the following year.

After that, he returned to Chelsea and won the FA Cup in the 2014-15 season along with the Premier League title that season. But, after that season, something changed.

Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images

He was sacked from Chelsea in December 2015 and was out of work until May 2016 when he went to Manchester United. While he did win the FA Community Shield and the Europa League in his first season, there was just something different.

He was more combative on the sidelines and he suffered from a lot of push-back in the locker room at Old Tratford. He was sacked the following season.

In terms of Inter, the Nerazzurri are struggling to be sure. Sitting 20 points back of Serie A leaders Juventus, Luciano Spalletti has seemed to enter another winter drought, similar to last season. Inter has struggled to find offensive form – scoring one goal in their last four matches. In fact, outside of scoring six against Benevento in the Coppa Italia, Inter has managed just seven goals in 10 matches since the beginning of December.

Now, just this week, Marotta and Inter management confirmed their confidence in Spalletti, essentially giving him a little more rope to either tie a knot or hang himself.

“We recognize the difficult moment, but the position of Spalletti is solid. There are still 16 matches left, there are still many points available and we are third in the standings,” Marotta said.

So, for the time being, it seems Spalletti will be the manager, at least until the end of the season. If Inter fails to qualify for the Champions League, I can see Inter making a move.

But, the question is: Is Mourinho the right fit?

Right now, I think there are simply too many issues surrounding him to make him a front-runner for the job. Certainly, he should be part of the conversation, but there are others out there – Atletico Madrid’s Diego Simeone and Sassuolo’s Roberto De Zerbe to start.

So, I would have to say that Mourinho would not be the top choice at the moment. I would think that, if he was, Spalletti would already be gone.

What do you think? Post your comments below!