Joe Cole feels there was a world in which Jose Mourinho took over at West Ham United before Nuno Espirito Santo got the job, speaking via his connections at Chelsea and the London Stadium.
The Hammers confirmed that Nuno Espirito Santo will stay on for the 2026/27 campaign on Wednesday morning, putting a sudden end to speculation involving Scott Parker, Craig Bellamy and Slaven Bilic.
Yet, former West Ham United favourite Joe Cole claims to have some insight regarding a certain other Portuguese tactician.
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Cole, who has contacts at both of his former clubs, says on the The Dressing Room Podcast that one Jose Mourinho would have been extremely tempted by a Premier League return somewhere between his sacking at Fenerbahce last August and his subsequent appointment by Benfica.
Joe Cole felt Jose Mourinho might have taken the West Ham United job
“I remember a conversation we had when Mourinho was available, Coley?” Joe Cole says opposite namesake Carlton. “You know, we’re in football, we speak to people we know could speak to people at West Ham and get a feel for [things].
“So I know Jose, at the time, was available. He loves London.”
“He wanted the job, didn’t he?” Carlton interjects.
“Listen, I think at the time where his career trajectory was, I can’t say he wanted the job, but if it was put in front of him with the right project…” Joe adds. “Jose loves London, you know?
“But the noises we were getting out of West Ham were, “Ah no, not for us. Jose, not for us’. And I was amazed! My head was like; ‘Jose Mourinho is not enough for West Ham?'”
Hammers News can corroborate Cole’s claims.
We were told by a board spokesperson that David Sullivan had ‘zero’ intention of ever hiring Jose Mourinho. The two major drawbacks; an underwhelming modern-day record, and his famously acerbic personality.
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Mourinho failed to win the domestic title either with Benfica or Fenerbahce, while he left both Roma and Tottenham in sixth and seventh respectively.
An impending return to Real Madrid – where he snatched the La Liga title under the nose of Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona in 2012 – is very much a move driven by Florentino Perez’s heart rather than his head.
Mourinho is on his way back to Spanish giants Real Madrid
Yet, Cole thinks that even the 2026 version of Mourinho is a level above most other managers on the market.
“Sometimes, it’s all about timing in football,” Cole says. “He’s now at Real Madrid, coaching one of the biggest clubs in the world.
“He could have been a West Ham manager, I think. If you had someone within the club with a little bit of foresight, a little bit of nous and bravery to go, ‘Let’s get this geezer in because he could turn the whole ship round’.
“I look back and think the noises I got back at the club from the people in charge were that it wasn’t for them, and they weren’t even going to entertain it. I’m like, ‘Why?’. I don’t know.
“Listen, I’m not Jose’s agent. I’m not working for West Ham. I just thought, this works for everybody.”
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