France legend Emmanuel Petit has suggested that Benfica boss Jose Mourinho should take up the challenge of trying to keep Wolves in the Premier League. The ex-Chelsea boss only joined the Portuguese team in September but Petit thinks an English top-flight return would be too good to refuse, particularly as he has not had the "best of starts" at Benfica.
Mourinho admits Premier League ambition
Mourinho announced himself as 'The Special One' more than 20 years ago after leading FC Porto to Champions League glory and taking up the managerial role at Chelsea. After two spells at Stamford Bridge, he has also managed at Manchester United and Tottenham, with varying success. Although he has spent many years coaching in England, in addition to being in the dugout at Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Roma, Fenerbahce, and more, the Benfica boss still wants more.
In October 2024, he said: "The best thing I have to do is when I leave Fener is that I go to a club that doesn’t play in UEFA competition. So a club at the bottom in England who needs a coach in two years, I’m ready to go. I don’t want to speak anymore about it. I want to speak about the game."
Now, Petit can see him picking up the reins at manager-less Wolves, who sit bottom of the Premier League.
AdvertisementPortuguese legend 'loves the Premier League'
The Frenchman believes that the lure of the English top-flight may be tempting, especially as this will be a new challenge with a team at the wrong end of the table. He added that the Portuguese's "fierce character" could fire Wolves to safety.
He told JeffBet: "Jose Mourinho is not having the best of starts at Benfica, but you never know with him. Mourinho loves the Premier League and managing a team like Wolves could be something completely different for him. He's used to teams with big players and a lot of money, trying to avoid relegation is something unexpected from Mourinho. Why not? Wolves are linked with many Portuguese people, and have been for years now, so it would probably suit Mourinho. It would be a huge battle for him though, Mourinho is a fierce character and maybe Wolves need his fighting mentality to stay in the Premier League. For me, I'd be happy to see Mourinho back in the Premier League and managing Wolves."
Petit added that his old Arsenal team-mate Patrick Vieira and Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard should not go to the West Midlands outfit.
"No, Patrick Vieira shouldn't take the Wolves job. Vieira has been let go in a few jobs now, so I think he would benefit from a more stable environment. I'd wish Vieira and Steven Gerrard a lot of luck if they decide to manage Wolves, but there would be some tough moments, and they would need to learn how to get through that," he added.
Mourinho wouldn't have tolerated Spurs pair's actions
Incidentally, Petit also believes that Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence wouldn't have snubbed Mourinho, or Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, if he were in charge at Tottenham. Spurs head coach Thomas Frank asked the duo to applaud the fans after their uninspiring defeat to Chelsea but they gave the Dane the cold shoulder. They have since apologised but Petit thinks this wouldn't have happened under Mourinho.
Petit said, "I think Thomas Frank would have been very disappointed. Micky Van de Ven and Djed Spence are very lucky that he didn’t choose to react differently. Would they have reacted like that if Jose Mourinho or Pep Guardiola were their manager? No. These managers may have punished the players, even if they apologised. If I was their manager, I would make sure they know that I am the manager, and I won’t be disrespected like that. Frank is the last manager to throw players under the bus, I can't remember him pointing a finger at his players, so I can imagine he was very hurt by their actions."
GettyWhat comes next for Mourinho?
Unless Mourinho is given the sack at Benfica, it seems a move to Wolves is unlikely. He has overseen six wins, two draws, and two losses so far, with the Portuguese giants currently third in the league. But a move to the Premier League could yet happen in the future for the 62-year-old.
