Manchester United name ridiculous price for Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho is undervalued by Manchester United
If Manchester United really want to keep Jose Mourinho away from PSG then they have a strange way of showing it. Officials at Old Trafford have slapped a price tag on their manager, but it’s much too low to fend off the Parisian giants.
Reports from England claim that Old Trafford officials are willing to part with The Special One for a world-record fee of £20 million. That may seem like a large sum of money, but in today’s world of football it just doesn’t mean very much.
Consider the sort of player that PSG would purchase for £20 million. That number isn’t sufficient to purchase an established starter during this day and age. That sum would only be enough to purchase a starlet with significant upside or a player better suited to contribute to PSG off the bench.
Surely a top-notch manager is worth more to the Ligue One giants than a backup centre back. That’s why it’s so stunning that Manchester United are willing to let Mourinho go for such a paltry fee.
In fairness to Ed Woodward and company, the size of the required fee is simply a product of Mourinho’s current contract status. The club have the ability to add an extra year on his agreement this summer. That would leave Mourinho with two seasons on his deal priced at £10 million per season.
More from Manchester United
- Four forwards Manchester United might like to replace Cristiano Ronaldo
- Cristiano Ronaldo hits out at Manchester United
- Aston Villa vs. Man United: How Erik ten Hag can replace Bruno Fernandes
- Real Sociedad 0-1 Manchester United: Three talking points
- A few pointers to the Cristiano Ronaldo issue at Manchester United
The reality is that Manchester United officials were naive when they signed Mourinho. They were desperate to recruit a proven winner as their manager and didn’t exercise the proper foresight to safeguard themselves against the manager’s wandering eyes. It’s hardly a surprise that Mourinho is openly flirting with new clubs at this point in his tenure.
The saving grace for United officials is that they’re still a more prestigious position than PSG have to offer. As long as they continue to moderately placate their egotistical manager they should be in a solid position to keep him. Remember, even if PSG offer to pay the fee they still need Mourinho to agree to the move. It’s not as if he has a release clause in his contract.
Next: Lukaku must dominate Ibrahimovic
If United do elect to offer Mourinho a new deal in the future, they should push strongly for more protection for the club. Perhaps he should have a buyout similar to the fee they’d require from a budding Premier League superstar.