Sridhar Bhamidi
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has down laid his requirements before committing to a new deal with the Red Devils. According to the Mirror, the Portuguese tactician is receptive to the idea of extending his stay at the club but only on his terms.
Mourinho joined United in the summer of 2016, replacing Louis van Gaal, and signed a three-year deal upon arriving at the club. As he approaches the mid-point of his contract, Mourinho is being offered a new long-term deal by the club.
Jose is currently paid £12m per season at United, and the gaffer wants a pay rise of £3m per year in his new deal. That means, his new overall package would be £15m which be on par with his arch-rival, Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
Having led the club to success in his first season, where he won the Europa League and the EFL Cup, Mourinho is confident that he has brought the club back into the major league.
Winning the Europa League was more important because it guaranteed qualification to the Champions League this season – something which is considered basic for a club of the stature of United, and is a performance target of major sponsors Chevrolet and Adidas.
Mourinho has been cheeky by mentioning that he will not stay life-long at the club at a time when his name was listed as a potential candidate to take over at Paris Saint-Germain. However, Jose was quick to refute any such claim, indicating that he is happy at the club.
He said: “I am happy here – and I love my players. You try to create a story because of my words after defeat at Huddersfield – but there is no story.
Mourinho knows that he is on a strong footing at the club, thanks to his exploits last season. Also, the performances in the Champions League this year have been satisfactory as the Red Devils stand on the brink of knockout qualification.
Moreover, the club announced record revenues in September, which hit a record value of £581.2m and an operating profit of £80.8m.
That increases Jose’s optimism of funneling a pay-rise for his next deal. There is intent on both sides to sign a new deal, and the Mirror claims that talks over an extension have been scheduled for the first week of January.
Let’s hope the discussion goes well and that our gaffer signs a new deal without too much fuss.
