French giants Paris Saint-Germain are eyeing two of the Premier League hotshot managers – Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho, with both managers reportedly frustrated at their clubs.
With the arrival of Spanish superstar Neymar and French wonderkid Kylian Mbappe, PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi wants to bring in one of the top-rated managers to replace their current manager Unai Emery, according to The Mirror. Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte are two targets that seem to be on top of the chairman’s wishlist.
Under Emery, PSG lost their Ligue 1 title to Monaco last season and suffered a humiliating defeat to Barcelona in the second leg of round of 16 Champions League clash. Khelaifi is desperate to bring Champions League glory to Parc Des Princes and is willing to sanction a move for new manager come this summer.
Congratulations to Antonio Conte who has been named Barclays Premier League Manager of the Month for a record third time in a row! ? pic.twitter.com/gAasJqOHoA
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 13, 2017
Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho have endured a difficult season at their respective clubs. Conte hasn’t received the backing he wanted in pursuit of his summer transfer targets while Mourinho is whining about the financial prowess of arch-rivals and league leaders, Manchester City.
To much delight of PSG, Conte expressed his uncertainty as a Chelsea Manager comes next season, saying “everything is possible”. Conte was brought in as Chelsea manager in the summer of 2016 after Mourinho was sacked the previous year.
The Italian won the Premier League in his first year, resorting to a famous 3-4-3 lineup. However, failure to land his transfer targets have caused a friction between Conte and Chelsea hierarchy and the Italian could move out before his contract expires in 2019.
Sundays belong to Jose Mourinho ? pic.twitter.com/fbjUgYcgYX
— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 17, 2017
Mourinho, on the other hand, was handed a good kitty for his summer targets with the likes of Lukaku, Matic and Lindelof coming into the side, however Mourinho believes his side failed to strengthen at the back compared to Manchester City, who would spend huge amount to sign full-backs.
“When the target is to offend, to insult, I think that you are a little man”
“It’s not a surprise for me”
“This is his way”
Antonio Conte speaks honestly and openly about Jose Mourinho with @DesKellyBTS ?
Wow. ? pic.twitter.com/xR6W9VE3Gi
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 6, 2018
The two managers have seen temperatures soaring between them in recent past, with both of them taking shots at each other. It started when Mourinho criticized Conte for making fun of his team after Chelsea humiliated Mourinho’s Manchester United 4-0 on his first return to the club.
Mourinho recently stated that some managers ‘behave as clown on touchlines’, apparently taking a jibe at Conte. Conte replied with a “demenza senile” comment on Mourinho, to which the Red Devils manager came up with Conte’s past match-fixing allegations – to which Conte turned furious.
With Premier League title way out of sights, both Conte and Mourinho will try to lead their team as far as they can into the Champions League. The two managers are expected to be handed some cash this winter.
But, given the complexity of winter transfer window with unavailability of top transfer targets, both managers could well sit back and sulk. PSG could be an exciting option for both, with huge paychecks and board’s backing for new transfer targets awaiting them.
