Jose Mourinho Claims He Turned Down Tottenham in 2007

Posted Sunday, March 01, 2015 by Bleacherreport.com

The rivalry between Premier League clubs Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur has intensified tremendously in the past decade, and with the Capital One Cup final just around the corner, Blues manager Jose Mourinho decided to put some more fuel on the fire.

As shared by ESPN FC, the Portuguese manager revealed he turned down Spurs after leaving the Blues in 2007. His contract contained an exit clause prohibiting him from coaching in England for two years, but even with Tottenham paying Chelsea compensation, he just couldn't do it: "No, because I love Chelsea supporters too much."

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says he turned down an approach from Tottenham after leaving Stamford Bridge in 2007. — ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 28, 2015

The news is eerily reminiscent of the sage surrounding Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, who nearly invested his considerable funds in the north London club before purchasing their rivals from the west of the British capital.

Sven Goran Eriksson revealed back in 2013 that he talked the Russian billionaire out of his decision, as reported by the Daily Mail's Nik Simon:

In 2003 Roman wanted to buy a club in Russia. I went with him to Moscow to see the facilities at two or three other clubs.

But then he changed his mind and said he wanted to buy a club in London. He was thinking Chelsea or Tottenham.

He phoned me and said, "Who shall I buy?"

I said if you want to win the league then Chelsea - because you only have to change half the team.

At that time with Tottenham maybe you would have had to change the whole team.

The story is well-known: Chelsea went on to become one of the top clubs in all of Europe, winning several Premier League titles and the Champions League under the guidance of up-and-coming manager Mourinho, while Tottenham remained a good, not great club fighting for a European ticket.

Mourinho left the club in 2007 for an Italian adventure with Inter Milan, leading the Nerazzurri to the treble—Serie A title, Coppa Italia and Champions League title—before moving on to Real Madrid.

One has to wonder what could have been should Mourinho have moved to north London instead, but as arguably the world's most wanted manager back in 2007—a position he might still hold today—a move to Spurs would have seemed unlikely anyway.