Jose Mourinho talks exclusively with Sky Sports about Chelsea’s immediate future, the injuries he spent at Tottenham and Tammy Abraham.
Roma will face Feyenoord in the European Conference League on May 25 after beating Leicester in the semi-finals. Roma have not won a European competition in 50 years since beating Blackpool in the 1972 Anglo-Italian Cup, but Mourinho will now seek a complete set after his past victories in the Champions League and Europa League.
While you were covering the action of the European League in Italy, Sky Sports’ Gary Cotterill spent some time with Mourinho and discussed a range of topics …
Jose talks about Chelsea …
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Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho believes his former club has lost some of its excellence and stability after the change of ownership, but says it is temporary
“It’s a difficult moment and you can feel it even at the football level because they’ve lost that level of excellence and stability. But this is the moment, you know.
“If you ask me do I have someone I would like to take over my Chelsea? Then yes, I do, but I close my mouth.
“I just know that the club has reached such a level that no matter who it is with, Chelsea will always be Chelsea. Chelsea will always be.
“And my house will always be 200 meters from the stadium and I want to keep listening to the sound of happiness and success and I’m pretty sure that will be the case.”
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We are watching Mourinho’s best and funniest moments from the time in the Premier League
Jose about his time at Spurs …
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Roma manager Jose Mourinho said that at this stage of his career there is no anger towards anyone and wished Spurs president Daniel Levy all the best
“I am in the maturity of my career and a life in which I have no bad feelings. I’m just trying to accept things as they are.
“That. Yes, it hurt.
“I react in a funny way when I talk to some English journalists at press conferences. I always tell a joke about qualifying for [Conference League] Finals, I hope I don’t get fired this time, because it’s something that doesn’t happen to too many coaches.
“This time I can’t say I’m privileged because it happened to me.
“I don’t regret it. I don’t have bad feelings. There are a lot of good people in Tottenham and I wish them all the best. Even Mr. Levy.
“But for a guy with my career and my history, I think it was weird what happened.
“But in the end it opened the door for me to be in Rome and I am very happy to be in Rome.
“Of course I would like to be in a position to fight for the title or to be in the Champions League where I played 160 or 170 games.
“But I’m loved here. I love the people here. I feel very much part of the empathy created between the fans and the club and me and the players. I’m very happy here.”
Jose about the ‘amazing’ Tammy Abraham …
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Roma manager Jose Mourinho believes striker Tammy Abraham has proven to many English players that their lives are beyond the Premier League after great appearances in Serie A
“Against Leicester he was absolutely amazing and at the moment he is joking and saying‘ I refuse to praise him ’because he can always do better.
“She knows how happy I am. He knows how much I love the kid and the player and I am proud of what we do and I am very happy for Tammy.
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Tammy Abraham praised Mourinho’s influence after joining the Serie A club
“We’ve come to a situation where I’m asking a lot of him because I know he can work incredibly well.
“I don’t think it’s an easy decision for a young player to leave his club, his house, his city, his country and leave the Premier League, which is of course a competition that is difficult for a player to leave.
Tammy Abraham sealed Roma’s win over Leicester at the Stadio Olimpico
“He took that option and I think he accepted it because he trusted me. And I think at the moment, if he wants to go back to England – I don’t think he wants to not – but if he wants to go back to England you just have to click your fingers and so happy for him.
“He returned to the national team and is loved in Rome. I’m not saying everyone made a mistake, because I think everyone knows he’s a good player, and I think with Smalling, Tomori and Tammy he showed the English boys that there is life outside the Premier League and in Italy there is a life that makes them even better players. “