José Mourinho has been signed up to make his former player Kurt Zouma one of his first signings as Roma manager in the summer.
It was announced last week that Mourinho would take over the Giallorossi at the end of the season. You were out of work for only a few weeks having was fired by Tottenham last month. The Portuguese coach has signed a three-year contract with the Italian team that will start in the summer.
He has a rebuilding job on his hands after what has been a difficult season for Roma. There will be work to be done in the transfer market, with a central one of the main objectives.
The Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport has analyzed a list of possible options, and one of those named is Chelsea defensa Zouma.
Mourinho He signed Zouma for the West London club in 2014 during his second spell in charge at Stamford Bridge.
The French international was Mourinho’s starting center-back at the start of the 2015/16 season until his dismissal in December 2015.
Mourinho’s admiration for the 26-year-old has persisted in the years since. He showed interest in signing him again at both Manchester United and Tottenham.
Now could be the third time that he is lucky when he takes the reins of Roma. Thomas Tuchel has used Zouma sporadically, so he could look for a way out to be the first option again, something that Mourinho would surely offer.
Also on the list is Eric Dier, whom Mourinho was very fond of in his time as Spurs manager. However, Gazetta dello Sport recently reported that Dier is not interested in moving anywhere for the foreseeable future.
Focus key for José
Away from the transfer market, Mourinho has insisted that he will not let outside noise affect his managerial decisions as he prepares to take over at Roma.
The end of his time at Tottenham had all the hallmarks of a typical Mourinho outing, as he publicly criticized the players, alienated fans with his style of play and fought with the media.
Despite that, Mourinho says he is only focused on what happens at the club.
“We don’t allow outside influences to affect what we do inside,” he said in an interview with business partner XTB. “Pressure is always present in football, so we focus on the basics and our preparation and keep the atmosphere fun but committed and professional.
“For me, each game has a pressure because they all mean different things. There is pressure with a derby, a semi-final to reach the final, a final to win the trophy and three points to progress in the table and not lose position.
“The best way to keep pressure off is to prepare consistently and also under normal conditions so that the players don’t feel anything different.”
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