Jose Mourinho, the coach of AS Roma, disclosed that he declined two sizable offers from Saudi Arabian teams.
During the current transfer period, certain Saudi teams have attracted well-known football players to the pro League in their home nation.
With the new Serie A season starting in two weeks when Roma takes on Salernitana, Mourinho, who is seeking to lead his Roma team to Champions League football this season, has now opened up on his experience with representatives of two teams in Saudi Arabia.
Speaking to Corriere dello Sport, the Portuguese coach said;
“Saudi? Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli. Yes. Before going to the meeting, I informed the owners, clarifying that I had no intention of accepting. At home I said exactly the same thing.
“On the one hand, I felt like a prisoner of the word given to the players in Budapest and to the fans after Spezia, mimicking the stay. But if you ask me if I didn’t accept just for this reason, I’d answer no, not just for this.”
Mourinho also hinted that he could change his mind in the future.
He added;
“It’s not final, no. In the past, I turned down the most incredible offer a manager has ever received when China offered me the national team and a club where all the internationals would play. An indecent economic proposal, out of this world and by all parameters.”
The self-dubbed ‘Special One’ took over at the Italian club at the start of the 2021/22 campaign, leading them to Europa Conference League glory in his first season in charge. He took the Italians to the brink of European glory in his second campaign, losing on penalties to Sevilla in the Europa League final.
He is the only manager to win all three current major European competitions and the first to win a major European final with four different clubs.
