Mourinho poised to make Tottenham duo his first two Roma recruits
Jose Mourinho is reportedly set for a summer raid on former club Tottenham after he takes over as manager at AS Roma ahead of next season.
The Portuguese tactician was named on Tuesday as the man to replace outgoing Roma coach Paulo Fonseca. It was a surprise move for the former Chelsea and Manchester United boss. Many thought he would bid his time and head to one of Europe’s heavyweights.
But the 58-year-old will now enjoy a second stint in Italian football having coached Inter between June 2008 and May 2010. And it was a successful spell at the San Siro.
Mourinho won back-to-back Serie A titles plus the Coppa Italia and the Champions League. The Nerazzurri had not claimed the Scudetto since his departure but have romped to the Italian top-flight crown this term.
Under Antonio Conte, they are 13 points ahead of second-placed Atalanta with only four games to go. Mourinho will inherit a Roma side languishing in seventh spot in the table.
The Eternal City outfit have lost 11 league games in 2020-21 and look set to miss out on European football. Winning this season’s Europa League would have been a route back in.
But a 6-2 semi-final first-leg thrashing at the hands of United seems to have closed that door. The former Real Madrid boss will need to recruit this summer and has been tipped to prey on Spurs.
Football.London are suggesting that he may look to lure Erik Lamela and Lucas Moura to the Stadio Olimpico. Neither player is a regular starter for the north Londoners.
Lamela, 29, has started just five top-flight games among 22 outings while 28-year-old Moura has been given the nod 14 times.
Lamela keen on Italy return
Whether or not the pair do re-join their former boss in Rome only time will tell. But it appears as though Lamela is keen to return to Italy.
The Argentinian, who joined Spurs from Roma in 2013, has recently been linked with AC Milan and Napoli. It was reported last month that his agent has already spoken to the clubs about a summer switch.
He has never quite hit the expected heights at Tottenham. But Mourinho is a fan, saying of the winger: “He is the kind of player that I like very much.”
Moura joined Spurs from Paris Saint-Germain in January 2018. The Brazil international has made 155 appearances in all competitions, scoring 32 goals.
But, like his fellow South American, there is a sense that he has underachieved in the capital. The undoubted highlight was his hat-trick against Ajax in the 2019 Champions League semi-final.
He is also known to be an admirer of Mourinho and may jump at the chance of a reunion.
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